Just How Long is Forever?
by SeahorseRider
Summary: Ten years after the defeat of Naraku, Rin is living with Kaede surrounded by normal humans, waiting for the day when Sesshomaru would ask her to choose between a normal life or one following him. She used to know her choice, but now she isn't so sure...
1. Chapter 1

A small splash from deep within the well told Rin the bucket was ready to be lifted. Grabbing the crank with both hands, she started to turn it. Slowly the bucket rose in tune to the loud creaking of the rudimentary wheel system. The rope was old and frayed, giving Rin serious doubts that it would last many more trips.

Pausing for a second, she leaned against the well cover. This was one of the last wells that could be used for drinking water and it was the farthest from the village by far. Most of the others had dried up and been turned into demon graves like the bone-eater well. Sometimes Rin liked to stare into those sealed wells to see if she could see the world on the other side that Kagome spoke so often of.

She began the turning again as the sound echoed off the trees. The clearing was rather large but still surrounded by dense trees. Her time with Lord Sesshomaru was brief but she did take away a few lessons, the most important one was _always beware of your surroundings_. As the bucket reached the top, she slid the wooden stopper into the wheel and released a loud groan as she heaved the bucket over the edge of the well. These buckets were heavy, but it beat the menial task of harvesting herbs, plus it gave her alone time. The villagers were alright enough―most were used to demons because of Inuyasha― however a few still felt fear towards anyone who ever associated with them.

Bending down, Rin hooked the full bucket onto the right side of her yoke to match the already-full bucket attached to the left. She slipped the wooden structure around her neck before slowly standing, making sure she lifted only with her legs. The load was heavy but not unbearable. She was far too used to carrying such loads down the path to the village, as she was one of the few to use this particular well. Some days however, she did wish she had used the ones closer to the village that still held water. Today was one of those. Sighing, she began the trek down the path she came up from. Why did she want to come all the way up here today for water?

There were two paths leading from this well. She stopped and turned to look at the other one behind her, which led up into the mountain where a very small village rested. Rin had never been there but occasionally she would meet another water fetcher from there and would indulge in her curiosity of life outside her home.

"Ugh!" Rin jolted slightly to her right before quickly finding her balance , only splashing a little water out of the buckets. Lifting her bare left foot, she brushed the sole against her leg, dislodging the rock she had stepped on.

Stupid rock, she thought. Why didn't she wear the shoes Lord Sesshomaru had brought her? They were very nice and would protect her feet, but still she always left without them. She couldn't explain why, but even with the numerous beautiful and sturdy shoes he had given her, she still preferred to go barefoot. Her Lord had learned this simple fact about her when she was little, but still he continued to bring her a new pair every so often in a new size―just in case she had the need, or the want, for shoes. In truth, she had needed them a few times. During the last winter she wore a pair of boots he had given her which saved her toes from the frostbite many of the poorer farmers had suffered from, since they couldn't afford them. She had given the first pair of shoes he had left her to another little girl her first year in the village, but when the child's mother gave them back to her saying they would not accept anything from her, she stopped offering.

"Heheh," Rin giggled at the memory of the angry little woman, and a few birds took flight as her voice echoed in the silent air and off the trees. This was many years ago now, but she still remembered how confused she was, trying to understand why the woman didn't want the shoes for her child. Humans could be so silly sometimes.

The dirt beneath her feet gave way to stone steps. This was the entrance to the village and the forest gave way to grass which lead to farms. The weight of the buckets were starting to weigh her down and the thought of removing them made her step quicken.

Around her, people farmed the rice fields and others sat in the sun sewing garments. Up ahead she could see two men loading a cart drawn by horses with goods to trade in a nearby village. Traders had stopped coming to their village years ago. Superstitious, the lot of them were. They feared that Inuyasha or even Shippo would randomly kill them. Now though, the merchants merely collected the village's goods and traveled to the nearby villages themselves.

"Morning Rin," one of the men greeted her while the other waved.

"Morning," Rin said smiling. As she continued past, she could hear them chattering about what they expected to be able to get for their wares and how they hoped they didn't run into any trouble. Their village was really becoming isolated. The warring lords of the lands very rarely bothered them. Numerous times the villages near them had soldiers ride into town claiming them as a new portion of their lands, but they had never come to theirs. She wondered if that had something to do with Inuyasha. Hmm, most likely.

The huts passed by Rin as she continued on the path. Over the years she had watched the homes shrink, while in reality she was growing taller. A group of small children ran past her, the oldest she recognized as Sango's son, Jirou. She had helped Lady Keade deliver all of those kids. To see them happy, healthy and growing made her smile. But her smile quickly turned to sadness as she felt a pain in her heart. That boy was Sango's last child, she had yet to carry another pregnancy to full term. Rin had buried many infants and women dead in childbirth in the nine years since Sesshomaru had left her here. She knew, however, that without pain they wouldn't be able to understand how lovely things could be. That was a lesson she had learned after the wolves had caught up to her and her Lord Sesshomaru had—

The sound of crying caught Rin's ears and brought her out of her thoughts. Unable to turn her head much because of the yoke, she looked around as much as she could, careful not to spill any more of the water. It wasn't really crying, she realized, more like sobbing, and it was coming from the home she just passed, the one with two girls seated outside the door. They were talking quietly inside but they couldn't seem to calm the upset girl hidden within.

Rin had to think. That was the family's home, of Saki, a teenager a few years younger than Rin herself. What had upset the girl so much? Rin was curious, but she didn't turn back . The two outside the door she recognized as Yuri and Mayu, Saki's best friends, if they couldn't cheer her up there was nothing Rin could do.

Rin began walking again, each step taking her closer to the home she shared with Lady Keade. She wondered what the old miko would have for her next chore. When Kagome returned and became Lady Keade's apprentice, Rin still helped out the elderly miko until Kagome was more knowledgeable, but now Kagome did all of the ceremonies, births, and healing. Miroku took care of most exorcisms, but there were so few to ever show up in this town he had to travel for work. It was logical for Kagome to take over though; Rin had no spiritual powers, though she knew her medicines and disease symptoms, and was even a midwife for most of the young kids. Only in the last two years had Kagome become a midwife. Now all she had to do were menial tasks around the village: splitting wood, fetching water, assisting in farming and helping those who needed an extra pair of hands.

Someone called out, "Lady Keade, great news!" and a woman ran past Rin, almost knocking her down and forcing her to sway slightly to her left.

"What is it?" Lady Keade came out of their home, leaning heavily on her cane. Rin wondered if the elderly miko had seen her yet.

Saki's mother was overly ecstatic. The woman in blue nearly danced around the miko as Rin approached and stood next to them."Saki is going to marry Hiroto She refused to come out of her room today, which means last night was a success. We had been planning this for years with his family. We will have one of the largest farms in the village once we combine our holdings!"

Lady Keade smiled and wavered only slightly on her cane. She was getting very old now. "That is wonderful! I shall inform Lady Kagome and we will get started right away. She can perform the ceremony as soon as tomorrow, if you wish."

"Oh, but Lady Keade, I was hoping you would do it. Lady Kagome is a wonderful miko but you performed my ceremony and I would love if you were to perform my daughter's as well," the woman said. "Please, it would really mean the world to me. I love Lady Kagome, but I really want you to do it."

The miko smiled at the woman. "I guess I still have a few more ceremonies left in me. I will have Lady Kagome prepare it but I will be the one to actually perform it."

"That is so good to hear!" Saki's mother was beaming. "I'm going to go find Lady Kagome and tell her the good news! How far along is she now, anyways?"

"Only a few months into the pregnancy, she has a long ways to go still. She is currently preparing medicines from our last harvest. You can find her in her home." Lady Keade pointed to the fifth hut down from them.

The woman ran off smiling. "Lady Kagome! Lady Kagome!"

Lady Keade sighed. "Welcome back Rin. Took you awhile," she said before ducking inside the hut.

"I went to the well up the mountain a bit," Rin called after her. Bending down, Rin removed the yoke from her shoulders. She unlatched one of the buckets before following Lady Keade inside with it.

The small hut had two rooms. The first was the standard kitchen that most had with two cushions placed on either side of the cooking pit. The second room was split evenly down the middle by an imaginary line: one half, neat and bare, only a crisp bed along one wall, the second half shared a bed of the exact same state, but that was the end of the similarities. Neatly folded kimonos of varying colors, styles and even sizes were piled along the walls. Along with the kimonos, were brushes, mirrors and various other trinkets placed in neat piles all around . Lady Keade made sure that Rin kept everything neat but could not convince the girl to throw out any gift she had received from her guardian, even if she had outgrown it years ago.

Lady Keade sat neatly on her cushion, letting out a small groan. "I am not as young as I used to be. I am afraid my time left is limited. Tell me, why do you always go up to that well?"

"I like the alone time." Rin sat on the edge of the flooring, her feet hanging off the end in the dirt. "I guess that explains why Saki was so upset," she said, changing the subject.

"Oh, you saw her? Yes, no man has come for you yet, but you will soon learn the pains of being a wife." Lady Keade dipped a bowl into the water and placed it over the little fire.

"Most of the women my age are already married. Saki is three years younger than me, only fifteen. I don't think I am made to be someone's wife, Lady Keade. I have seen so many girls go through what Saki is going through and I honestly don't think it is something I want to." Rin folded her knees against her chest. "Is it silly of me to feel like this?"

"What? Of course not, child. I felt the same way. That is why I chose to be a miko after my sister Kikyo died." She poked at the fire with a metal tong.

"But Lady Kagome is a miko, and she is married to Inuyasha, so mikos can marry. Besides I can't be a miko, you told me that when Lady Kagome came back. I have no spiritual powers." She tilted her head and began tracing circles into the dirt.

"I know that child, but you could still join a convent if you really so desired. I am afraid, however, there aren't many options for unmarried women in this world. A miko is one of them, but you need not be unmarried." The water had begun to boil so Lady Keade added a couple tea leaves. "You can still choose to follow Lord Sesshomaru when he comes back for you, if you desire. You coming to stay here was to give you a choice."

Rin continued tracing her circle deeper and deeper into the dirt. "When I was younger I wanted to spend my life following him. I didn't care how, even if he just thought of me as a pet, as long as he let me stay with him, that was enough for me."

"Is that what you still want?" Lady Keade raised an eyebrow as she stirred the leaves.

Rin lifted her head to look at the old priestess. "Yes."

Lady Kaede smiled. "I have asked you that many times over the years. Your answer has never changed."

"I know. I have known this since he left me here. I don't think I have ever thought of this village as my home, even though I have been here longer than I was ever with Lord Sesshomaru. I have loved living with you, Lady Keade, don't get me wrong," she added quickly, thinking the elderly miko might take offense . "But I don't think this is my place."

"Don't worry child. Perhaps this village isn't where you belong. Everyone has a place in this world and someone tied to them. You may or may not belong with Lord Sesshomaru, but only time will tell." She took the kettle off the fire and poured herself a cup of the steaming beverage. "The tea is done, dear, do you want some?"

"Yes, please," Rin got her cup out from the small collection of dishes in the corner before taking a seat across from the miko. "That red string of fate thing?" Rin coughed back a laugh. "It's nice as a story, but I don't think it exists. If it did though, you must have never found yours."

"Not this time around. But look at Inuyasha and Kagome. I believe those two are tied together by fate. I saw it when she first popped out of that well and I can see it even now. Even if you don't find your destined partner in this life, maybe you'll find them in the next or you found them in a previous one." She poured some of the tea into Rin's cup.

"They do have something different." She blew on her drink before taking a small sip.

"She chose her husband. Sango got to as well. For most others, though, it is arranged by their families." She shrugged. "Still, a woman is expected to struggle and fight their first time. Saki's reaction is normal."

"I know." Rin shook her head dramatically shouting, "thank you for never marrying me off, Lady Keade!" The thought of being a housewife made her sick to her stomach.

The miko laughed. "I would never have done that, child. If I had, Lord Sesshomaru would surely have killed me and anyone else who would upset you."

Rin giggled. "No, he wouldn't! He is too nice, he wouldn't hurt you. But like you said, that is normal. I don't think I am normal." She smiled, sitting herself upright. She was really lucky to be raised by such a caring and understanding woman.

* * *

"Hey, Sango!"

Sango looked into the air to see who had called her when she spotted her brother riding Kirara.

"Hi Kohaku!" She was hanging her family's laundry out to dry with the help of her two daughters. The eight year olds Hana and Haruhi were identical from their pigtails all the way down to the mole on their big toes.

"Kohaku!" they shouted in unison as Kirara landed, allowing Kohaku to jump off.

"Hi Hana, Hi Haruhi." He smiled, leaning over the girls. "Now which one is which?"

"Don't be silly, uncle Kohaku! I'm Haruhi!" the one in the green flowered kimono said, proudly pointing to herself.

"And I'm Hana!" said the the girl in pink as she latched onto her sister and they both erupted into laughter.

He turned to his sister. "Why do I feel like they are lying to me?"

Sango laughed. "No, they are telling the truth. This time." She glared at her fibbers. "So what has you dropping by?"

"I heard about a demon causing trouble a few hours flight from here ,and when I was done I decided to stop by and see Rin. Plus Kirara has missed you, I think." The demon cat shrank down to her smaller size before jumping into Sango's arms.

"Rin, huh?" Sango said smiling slyly and nuzzling Kirara.

Kohaku gave her an odd look, she often had the wrong idea about him and Rin.

Sango continued. "Well Lady Keade was going to have her go sell some medicines in a nearby village today, but you could go see if she is still here," she said, pointing up the road to where the two women lived.

"Thanks sister. Don't spoil Kirara while I'm gone!" he shouted behind him as he was already running up the hill. His kursarigama made rattling noises with each step he took up the road before silencing as he stopped in front of the hut Sango motioned to.

"Hey Rin!" he called from outside the door. He heard no response from inside. Knocking lightly, he called again. "Rin?"

"Hey Kohaku."

The demon slayer jumped and turned around. Behind him stood an eighteen year old in a pale lavender kimono, her hair braided down her back in one long braid. Next to her was a very old and shortened woman in traditional miko garb.

He ran his fingers through his pony tail. She never failed to surprise the twenty-one year old. "You startled me. I thought you might have left already. I was thinking I was going to have to chase you down in order to see you while I was here."

"Left where?" Rin was confused. She had no plans on going anywhere today. Just doing work around the village to earn pay. No land for herself meant she had to work for others.

"Sango said Lady Keade was going to have you go to another village to sell medicines." He looked back towards where he had left Sango to catch up with Kirara, confused.

"I hadn't asked her that yet. But it's no matter. Have fun today, Rin, you can go tomorrow. Try and bring back some fish for dinner, though, if you don't mind." Lady Keade asked, then hobbled away from their hut, probably to see Kagome.

Rin picked up the basket they used for carrying fish from next to their hut. "So how long are you here for?" She motioned for the boy to follow her. Rin enjoyed his visits, though not nearly as much as her Lord Sesshomaru's , even if he only stayed a few minutes whereas Kohaku stayed all day.

"I killed a demon just north of here this morning, but I haven't heard of any more around the area, so I'll probably leave tonight or in the morning. It depends if I can find someone in the village willing to let me stay the night." Kohaku jogged to catch up with the quick-footed Rin. He noticed her feet. "Still no shoes?"

"Yeah, I'm used to the dirt under my feet." She smiled at him. "And, you don't wear any, either."

"Shoes are kind of expensive. I have the ones I use with my armor, but I don't need a second pair. Besides," he stuck his tongue out at Rin, "I don't have a demon lord to buy me things." Rin elbowed him in the side and he let out a small grunt. "Hey! Anyways, Sango and Miroku would probably let my stay the night but, I prefer not to, their place is pretty crowded. Speaking of families, Myoga said Lady Kagome is pregnant."

"Yeah, she is just starting to show. Still has awhile to go before its time," said Rin.

"This is her first, everyone was starting to think she couldn't have kids. Is she worried?" He looked into the sky, thinking of Sango's first pregnancy.

"I think she and Inuyasha were being careful. Kagome doesn't seemed worried, but I think she is. The child will be one-fourth demon, and while this village is mostly accepting of demons and part demons, the rest of the world isn't." She sighed. "I think she is praying the kid comes out like Inuyasha and not like Jenenji, the half horse demon, so it could pass as human if necessary."

"Hey, this village changed, perhaps everyone just needs time. So where are we going fishing, anyways?" He looked around but couldn't see any fish-able lake.

"This town doesn't have a river or anything with fish near it. We have to walk a little ways. It isn't too far, so the fish will still be fresh when we get back."

"Well, I would hope so," the demon slayer laughed.

Rin rolled her eyes. "You any good at fishing?"

He grinned proudly. "I have caught a few in my day."

"Hah! We'll see, then," she smiled coyly.

Kohaku laughed. "That sounds like a challenge."

"Well, I don't get many worthy opponents." Rin turned her head to smirk at him.

He tapped his chin, thinking back. "What happened to Mimiru? You two were like best friends or something."

"I never see her anymore. She got married a couple years ago and now has one child and is pregnant with another. She's always busy with mothering and wife duties." Rin sighed. " Even before that we started drifting apart when her mother got her into sewing."

"Haven't you found someone to apprentice to ? I figured you would by now."

"No Actually, I feel very out of place in the village. All I do are menial tasks to earn food and some pay. I don't feel like I belong here. Maybe this was how Kagome felt and why she chose to stay here instead of in her time." She shrugged.

"Don't worry Rin." Kohaku placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll find your place."

"Funny." She looked at the lake slowly coming into view. "Lady Keade said the same thing."

"Well, you should be married by now. Kagome was your age and my sister beat you by a year." Kohaku smirked at her. "Maybe I'll have to marry you, so you don't end up a spinster."

Rin elbowed him again. "Keep dreaming, demon slayer."

"Well, you know," he jumped ahead of her, stopping to lean in close to her face, snickering. "I know you enjoyed that kiss."

"Never said I didn't." Rin walked around him. She had enjoyed that very much. Just because she was strange didn't mean she didn't have the normal instincts of a teenager, they just kept fading as she got older. "Still doesn't mean I wanna marry you."

"Aww, but when I am a Lord you will be my favorite concubine!" He jogged to catch up with her laughing.

"I love you so much sometimes, other times you drive me nuts." Rin put her arm around his shoulder, making him bend at the knees a little so she could reach. He was her best friend, but they both knew there could never be anything more between them.

"Same, short-stuff. I am telling you the truth though, if it gets down to it. I'll marry you so you don't get stuck with some abusive creep. Most marriages are political anyways." Kohaku kept stumbling trying to walk while half bent over. "That the lake?" He asked pointing to the growing spot of blue.

"Thanks... I think." She let go of him and looked towards the spot he was pointing to. "Yea, it is part of a river that goes out into the ocean many miles from here. There is usually a handful of migrating fish who get trapped in here,so we might be able to catch some Maiwashi if we're lucky. If not, it'll just be herrings."

Rin set the basket down on a rock at the lake's edge. Bending over, she rolled up her kimono to her thighs before tying it off. Behind her she could see Kohaku take his weapon off his back and set it on the grass leaning against another rock. Bringing herself back to a standing position, she heard a cracking noise behind her. Turning to see what it was, she saw her friend stretching. Just his back, she thought and smiled before taking the first few steps into the water. The water was cold and she shuddered as it pricked at her legs like thousands of needles but slowly she became used to the temperature.

There was a splash behind her as Kohaku jumped in the water. She turned swiftly, holding a finger to her mouth urging him to be quiet. In response, he held up his hands, she could read a 'sorry' on his face.

Rin motioned for him to grab the basket behind him and follow her further into the water. She tentatively edged out into the lake until she finally she reached where the fish were. Here the water reached just above her knees and the fish scattered as she approached. Rin tied up her kimono sleeves before sliding her arms into the water and waiting, this was how she preferred to fish, the way she did as a child. Behind her Kohaku stood silently holding the basket and a rock, waiting. It wasn't long before the fish started to come back out from the plants and swim around their legs again. One brushed up against her hand and she resisted the urge to go for it. Not yet, she told herself. A couple more fish came close but still she waited. One of the fish kissed the edge of her thumb, before swimming in further to taste her other fingers. Just a little bit more...

The fish was now swimming in her hands underwater. Quickly she closed them as tight as she could before throwing the fish into the air. Watching it soar, she cursed. Too much force. Kohaku stretched his hands behind him and the fish landed in the basket, flopping around. He grabbed the small rock out of the basket, struck the fish in the head , and it stilled. Rin smiled at him and reached back into the water to catch another. She had become quite good at this with Jaken as a child.

Rin waited for the fish to come back. Once again they slowly started coming out of the grass and from under rocks, getting closer and closer to her and Kohaku. As the fish grew near, a cloud came with them beneath the surface of the lake, turning the water a deeper shade of blue.

"Kohaku..." Rin slowly edged backwards moving so carefully that none of the fish spooked.

"I see it."The cloud was advancing towards them. "It's behind us, too."

Rin turned slowly, taking a cautious step towards Kohaku. The fish darted away as the water became darker.

"Where do we run to?" Rin looked around, as she continued to back up until she bumped into Kohaku. "What kind of demon is it?"

He put a protective hand on her shoulder, "I don't know, don't let the cloud touch you, though. I'm not sure what it will do."

"So what should we do?" She began shaking. This was the first demon she had run into in many years. She tried not to show it, but she was terrified. Kohaku was an excellent fighter but oh how she wished her Lord Sesshomaru was there.

"My kusarigama is on the shore but I do have my wakizashi. The closest rocks are too far to jump to. Let's see what this stuff does to the fish." He handed the fish to Rin but it bounced off her hand. "Rin see if you can stick the fish in the cloud, see if anything happens to it."

"What?" Rin blinked. She had been listening to her heart pounding in her chest. "Oh the fish, yeah, okay." She took the fish from Kohaku's hand. Still shaking, she stretched out, leaning over the incoming cloud and dipped the fish into the water, holding it by the tail. There seemed to be no effect but she pulled it out and the submerged part had turned a blue to match the water.

"No damage. But the color..." Kohaku said.

Rin gulped. "None that we can see, anyways." The cloud continued advancing on them.

"Well, standing around here won't help us any. Here, climb on my back." Kohaku set the basket a drift before bending down. Rin tossed the fish into the basket, making it float away faster before climbing onto the demon slayer's back. "Lets go." He sloshed his way to shore as quickly as he could through the knee-deep water.

Kohaku stepped foot on the grass and he let go of Rin's legs allowing her to step onto the grass as well. She turned to where he had laid his weapon and took off at a run. Wrapping her fingers around the bony weapon, she picked it up. It was heavy. She lifted it with both hands and turned back to Kohaku, seated on the grass rubbing his now blue legs. Half-jogging under the weight of the kusarigama, she returned to him.

"Does it hurt?" she asked him as she handed him the weapon. Her hand was shaking so much that the chain rattled.

"No, can't feel it at all. Hopefully it is just a dye of sorts. We should get out of here." He started to stand, using his weapon as a lever. In the middle of the lake, the cloud had finally coalesced together , turning the whole lake a dark blue that was getting darker by the second. The water began to boil.

"The... the fish...," Rin stammered as the bodies of the fish began to rise, floating dead on the surface. Staring at the water and dieing fish, she felt a tug on her arm. Turning, she saw Kohaku trying to pull her away. Yes, this was not the time to be freezing up. The demon slayer was strong, but they had no idea what was causing this, or if the blue on his legs would soon begin to do harm.

Rin nodded and began to run, Kohaku keeping up a few spaces behind her. Rin heard a scream as a large, blue scaled tube as high as she was tall hit the grass just in front of them, shaking the ground. Stumbling, she looked behind her to see if Kohaku was the one who had screamed. He was facing away from her, back towards the water where a blue woman had risen out of the water. Only it wasn't a woman. It had the body of a woman but she had only one leg, and it stretched down into the water, over the bank and around to connect with the segment that had landed in front of them and back into the water, trapping them. The demon had a large fin that grew around it's head and human body shape.

Rin heard the same scream again, now recognizing it as her own. The demon's twisting body tightened its circle before slamming into them, pulling them towards the water and the demon's head. Below her, the ground disappeared. Her head was swimming in panic as her legs collapsed beneath her when the ground reappeared. Kohaku had grabbed her and jumped over the body before they were dragged in.

"Rin, go to the village!" Water fell on them as the splash of the demon's body crashing into the lake fell.

Nodding, Rin turned and scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could. Behind her, she heard a thunk and cry as Kohaku thrust his weapon into the demon.

* * *

Back at the village, Kagome and Sango played with a miniaturized Kirara, petting the little demon cat.

Behind them Inuyasha sat on a fence holding his sword. He began sniffing the air. A scent had wafted past his nose, a scent he did not like. His hand tightened on his sword.

"Something wrong?" Kagome could sense the unease in her husband.

"I smell a demon nearby, really close." He sniffed again.

"Where?" Kagome began to stand, still finding her growing belly a little awkward. Sango reached a hand out to help her up.

"The lake, I think." He kept sniffing, "I smell dead fish as well."

"Kohaku and Rin are at the lake!" Sango looked at Inuyasha, panic in her eyes.

Kagome tried to calm her friend."Your brother is a strong fighter, I am sure him and Rin are okay, Sango."

"I don't think this is one he can handle," Inuyasha said. I've got a bad feeling coming from it." He stood up on the fence bar. "Stay here, Kagome, Sango come with me."

Kagome nodded as Kirara grew in a whirl of fire to her full size ,allowing Sango to jump on and follow them down the path to the trees.

**A/N:**

**I do not own Inuyasha or the characters. I am merely a fan of the series who speculates on the future of the characters.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

The path to the village was long, and like most paths in the area, surrounded by trees. The land was a mountainous forest. Even when she was with her Lord Sesshomaru the only time they weren't in a forest was when they were too high in the mountains for the trees to live or in one of the very few valleys. Still, Rin ran up the path, bounding over the tree roots that had grown outwards looking for water, ones that Kohaku and she had merely stepped over on the way down. She could hear the demon screaming as her friend's kusarigama ripped through its flesh over and over again behind her. Still she kept on running. He told her to go to the village and that's what she was going to do. Following orders was all she could do now.

Skinny, bony, jointed legs tightened around her as a mass of scaly flesh slammed into her back, lifting her off the ground in one quick move. She twisted and turned but the legs were pinning her arms to her sides and a slimy tentacle wrapped around her mouth, there was nothing she could do but flail haphazardly as she was pulled into the trees and back down to the lake.

"Hush, little one," the demon cooed in her ear, the side of it's face pressed against hers. The tentacle was one of a matched pair hanging down the side of the demon's face. Squirming, she could see that while this demon was the same shade of blue it looked very different. Her captor had no human-like arms or any fins, instead it looked more masculine in the face with no real human body definition and a clear slime coated all of it, sticking to Rin. As it soaked through her kimono and onto her skin she shuddered. Gross.

"Stop struggling, dear, you can't get away from me," it cooed again, tightening its crab-like legs. The hard shell coating began to tear at her clothes and the flesh underneath. She winced in pain, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Come now, you can't leave before the fun is over, you haven't seen me kill your little friend yet. It's bound to be amusing. Hehe, for _me_ anyways, s." The demon rubbed its cheek against hers leaving a small amount of slime behind.

As they slithered back through the trees, she couldn't find any end to the demon. It looked more like it was retracting back to its source, as if it had grabbed her with its tongue. A talking, slimy tongue, she shuddered again, so gross.

"Your little friend is mighty strong. I can't imagine why he protected such a pathetic little weakling like yourself. You truly are just a burden, its no wonder the dog demon left you in this village with humans."

Rin's eyes widened. It knew about her Lord Sesshomaru, what was this thing doing here?

"I remember a little while ago when you trailed along at his heels like a _flea_, you were a burden to him then just like you were to your little friend today. Look." He pushed her face through the barrier of leaves so she could see Kohaku fighting with the other demon, his shoulder red with blood. "He doesn't even know that is just my tail, can't even see it coming out of the water." She looked past the water, there was no sign of anything coming out of the water and into the trees.

"This land is so nice for a demon like me to hide in." He rubbed his face against hers again, leaving even more slime. "I had hoped to mark you instead of him, but I still got you in the end." She twisted again in the demon's grip and felt the legs dig in deeper and more painfully. Blood started spotting up on her kimono, mixing in with the slime.

"You are just going to hurt yourself if you continue to struggle. There is nothing you can do. We are going to sit here and watch your little friend die, fighting against my _tail._" He laughed. "Amazing how someone like Lord Sesshomaru could ever care about you. As useless as you are, I guess you are kind of pretty. Still, you were much too young for even a demon's standards at the time. Generally we like to pick mates that can at least have children, not ones that _are_ children," he said into her ear again, "you were useless and too young, why did he keep you around, hmm?" His tongue was bumpy and coarse as it ran down her neck. Shuddering, Rin wished it would let her go, or at least stop talking and touching her like that. "Perhaps he intended to eat you? Still doesn't explain why he didn't eventually do just that, though. Either way, you were nothing more than a burden to him. Do you really expect him to come back for you? It was just an excuse to get rid of you."

Tears were falling down her cheeks, she could no longer feel the pain from the cuts in her body. The demon's words was all she could think of . bouncing horrible ideas around in her mind.

"But that's fine, he'll still come when he finds out what I've done to you. I'll take you, defile you and consume _you_, his property. He can't accept such an insult, he'll have to face me, and then I'll destroy him! I will be infamous. Demons will bow before me. The taker of Sesshomaru's keep. But be happy, little one," Rin shut her eyes as his long tongue licked at her tears. "Your friend's death will be quick. Well, quick compared to yours." He laughed as she whimpered through the tentacle gagging her mouth.

"I know how devoted you are to your Lord Sesshomaru, even if he did abandon you here. But don't worry, he will feel no personal loss over your death. His pride will be greatly damaged, but if he did care about you he would never have left you here, to die at my hands. Such a useless pathetic human you are, even your friend over there was of more use to the demon Lord than you were. . Not useful enough to save himself, though."

His legs tightened around her even more as she felt her body scream in agony but it was drowned out by the pain in her heart as she believed what the demon told her. The one thing she wanted most in the world, to stay with her Lord Sesshomaru forever, would never happen, not because of this demon, but because he didn't want her. She wasn't good enough for him.

"I can't wait, I'm getting all excited thinking about what I am going to do to you before I—AHHHH!" The demon screamed and Rin tasted dirt.

Before she could figure out why there was dirt in her mouth and her field of view had gone dark, the dirt was gone, and the darkness replaced by shades of green which turned to blue. A voice in her ear said, "Hold on." It rattled around in her mind but she couldn't understand what it meant, or where it came from. "Inuyasha! It's head is over here!" More words she couldn't understand came in her ears.

"Wind Scar!" She heard the words but none of it made any sense. The demon's words were all she understood, they consumed her. She was useless, nothing but a burden. A burden to Kohaku, to the village, to her Lord Sesshomaru...Perhaps she had no place in this world because she didn't deserve to be in it?

A new voice came into her mind, mixing in with the demon's. "Rin, are you okay? Say something, please!" "Rin?"

"Is she alive?" Another voice. Alive? Why did they care if she was alive?

"Yes, but she isn't responding, I think she is in shock." Shock? For so long she was oblivious to how her Lord must have really felt about her. She wasn't in shock, she was empty.

"Her wounds aren't deep, but she is pretty cut up." She remembered the legs slicing into her everything stung. She could see a face forming out of the colors.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

"She spoke!"

"Let's get her back to the village."

"No, Rin, it's Sango, can you stand?" Rin's body automatically began moving, she couldn't recall giving it any commands. Warm hands pressed against her shoulders, heating up the cold slime.

"Sango?" Now she recognized the the older woman. She was in her armor, her weapon across her back.

Sango smiled. "Yeah."

Rin's head was clearing. The demon had dropped her. Inuyasha had attacked it when she and Sango were clear. Things were starting to come together. But where was Kohaku? Looking around she spotted him. He was standing next to Inuyasha, blood staining his clothes from a wound in his right shoulder. "Kohaku, I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault. Besides it isn't deep. I should be the one saying I'm sorry. I had no idea you were in trouble, while I was foolishly attacking it's tail. I'm just glad he didn't kill you." He rubbed his shoulder.

"We should go back to the villageand patch you two up." Inuyasha picked up Kohaku's kusarigama. "Keep pressure on your shoulder, Kohaku, I'll carry this back."

Kohaku nodded and Sango took Rin's arm, giving her support. A breeze picked up and her skin felt cold. The demon had torn apart most of her kimono, exposing dozens of shallow bloody cuts all over her torso and legs. It was going to be a long walk back to the village.

"You two were lucky." Lady Keade bandaged Kohaku's shoulder while Kagome was still applying an ointment to Rin's numerous lacerations. They stung, but nothing came close to the pain she felt inside. The demon's words had cut deeper than any of its legs had."I don't think we have to worry about the blue stain, but you should keep an alert for any pain or strange sensations in your legs." The blue pigment on Kohaku's legs had disappeared with the death of the demon.

"He called it his mark." The two women and Kohaku looked at Rin in surprise. This was the first she had spoken since they got back. She had merely sat there and let Kagome remove her tattered kimono, clean off all the slime, and dress her wounds. "He said he wanted to mark me but it didn't matter cause he still got me in the end."

"What did he want with you?" Kohaku watched his friend.

"I don't know." She lied. In her mind she kept replaying what the demon had said to her, how it was going to kill Kohaku then rape and kill her had Inuyasha not killed it first. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew her Lord Sesshomaru didn't want her anymore. He was never coming back for her.

"Well anyways, it is good that you both are safe and neither of you were hurt too badly." Kagome smiled as she wrapped a bandage around Rin's left arm.

"Yeah," Rin muttered under her breath, letting her mind wander back to the lake, in the demon's grip. She remembered seeing Kohaku fight against the demon while she stood by helplessly. "I'm sorry Kohaku, I should of been more useful."

"Don't let it get to you. This isn't even deep. I'll be up and slaying demons again by morning." He smiled and tried to move his arm around to show Rin he wasn't hurt.

"Stop moving or you'll make your injury worse," Lady Keade scolded him. "It isn't deep true, but you should stay here a few days to rest. Throwing that weapon of yours isn't a good idea. You should be able to do anything other than that, though."

"So we can put him to work around here?" Kagome laughed.

"We could. Anyways," Lady Keade patted his bandaged shoulder, "you're all good to go."

Kohaku stood up and carefully stretched. "Doesn't even hurt." He smiled before turning to Rin. "What do you know, I do all the fighting yet you get hurt more than me." Laughing he left the hut.

Rin's heart sank. So she truly was a burden, even to him. She felt like curling into a ball and crying. Why hadn't the demon just killed her?

"That boy." Lady Keade shook her head. "I'll take over, Lady Kagome, you should go rest."

"Thank you, Lady Keade." Kagome turned to Rin. "You going to be OK?"

Rin looked at the concern in Kagome's eyes and nodded. The miko smiled and left the hut.

Rin was mostly bandages by now. Her chest, stomach and arms were all wrapped in cloth. Lady Keade sat down next to her and picked up where Kagome had left off bandaging her right leg.

Rin stared at the ground. "Lady Keade, how long has it been since Lord Sesshomaru last visited me?"

"What?" The old miko looked surprised. "Hmm, it has been many seasons now, I guess."

"He missed my birthday," Rin said solemnly.

"What is the matter with you? This morning you were so sure of things but now you sound like you doubt you will ever see him again." Lady Keade reached for Rin's cheek, turning the girl's head so she could look at her face. "What changed?"

"Nothing." She pulled her head out of Lady Keade's hand and looked back towards the ground.

The old miko was stern. "Don't lie to me. I raised you. I know when you're lying."

"That demon..." Could she tell Lady Keade what the demon had said? She knew that the miko would deny it. That she wasn't a burden on any of them. "Well... it was something he said to me. About Lord Sesshomaru not wanting me back. That this was just an excuse to get rid of me."

"Don't be absurd. I bet you anything he will be here for your 19th birthday." Lady Keade finished the last bandage on her right leg and moved onto her left.

"I don't know," she muttered

"Listen to me, Rin, don't let what that demon said get to you. There is something special between you and Lord Sesshomaru. Trust me, I have seen it. You two have a bond much deeper than that demon could ever understand. Deeper than most humans will ever understand, either."

Rin hung her head. She wasn't listening anymore. She was convinced that her Lord Sesshomaru had abandoned her as much as she had been convinced this morning that she wanted to spend her life with him. No, he was coming back for her. She was sure of it. But maybe...he wasn't?

Every time she tried to convince herself he was coming back those annoying little thoughts pushed their way back into her head that he wasn't. Why had he even left her here in the first place? They told her it was so she could choose to follow her Lord Sesshomaru or stay in a human village when she was older. But why would she want to stay in a human village? All they did was farm or make clothes. Did he think she would fall in love with someone and choose to marry them? Wouldn't he miss her if she chose to stay? Maybe that was his plan all along. She was human, she would marry a human and he would be rid of the 'annoying little flea' that followed him blindly. Did he regret bringing her back to life? She owed him everything. Her family died to bandits, the other villagers beat her, he was the only one to ever show her any kindness or concern. She would have stayed dead in those woods if it weren't for him. Without him, she had nothing. So why?

"Now keep in mind what I have said." Lady Keade's words interrupted her thoughts.

"What? Oh yeah, I will." She had no idea what the miko had been saying to her.

"Good, I don't want to hear any more of this talk. Now go get dressed, you are all bandaged. No more lounging around in your undergarments. You never fed Ah-Un this morning and I am sure he is ready to eat one of the horses by now." The old miko left Rin alone.

Ah-Un, poor demon. She forgot about him this morning. Lord Sesshomaru had left him with her, "just in case," he had said. Just in case of what? The dragon did accompany her when she traveled to the surrounding villages, but other than that he just wandered around with the village's horses. He probably would have been helpful this morning, though. Maybe that was what her Lord Sesshomaru had meant. He was an herbivore, so there was no threat of him eating one of the horses, that was just Lady Kaede picking on her. He was probably starving by now so she slowly stood. Her whole body stung and the bandages made it difficult to move.

Hmm, she thought. She had a few replacement kimono to chose from, but that lavender one had been her favorite and now it lay in the corner in shreds. If Kohaku wasn't like a brother she would have been embarrassed, totally exposed in the tattered kimono. She grabbed her orange one with white flowers. It reminded her of the very fist kimono that her Lord Sesshomaru had given her when she was a child. Never mind, she changed her mind and set it down grabbing the pink one with white ivy designs instead. Once she was dressed she headed out of the hut and down to the field Ah-Un stayed in.

"Evening Ah-Un, sorry I didn't see you this morning." She nuzzled one head and then the other. "Come on, let's go get you some food." She led the demon out of the closed in field and to the trough where the village's horses ate at. He used to run free, but the villagers complained that he was going to eat their crops and horses so they demanded she fence him in. None of them knew he could fly and she certainly wasn't going to tell them that. "Come on boy, eat plenty." At least she wasn't a burden to Ah-Un, though if it weren't for her he wouldn't be stuck in this small village. She sighed. "Ah-Un you don't think I am a burden do you?"

He lifted one head and let out a long huff. She took that as a no.

"Thank you." She hugged him as he lowered his head back down to eat. "I am really starting to wonder, about things that never even crossed into my mind before." She patted his back. "You have been so patient with me. Keeping up this charade that you can't fly for the villagers."

Ah-Un let out a happy huff and continued eating.

"So I'm headed out." Kohaku smiled at Rin and she returned it as she sat on the edge of the well. "Been cooped up here long enough. Lady Kagome said my shoulder is good as new. I'll just be a little sore if I overdo things." He twisted his arm around like a windmill. "See, no problems."

Rin smiled. "Be careful, okay? I don't want to have to bring flowers to your grave anytime soon." She had been bright and cheery the last four days even though, she felt like she was crying inside.

"It'll be a long time before that happens. I've got this thing on my side." He held out his kusarigama.

"Totosai made that for you, didn't he?" She touched the handle, it was bumpy and made of some sort of demon's bone.

"Yup, several years ago now. Best weapon I have ever used." He smiled and placed it in the hook on his back.

"Where does he live?" She had seen him come around here often, whenever Inuyasha needed his sword fixed.

"What?" Rin could read the surprise in his face. "Um, inside a volcano, I think. Why?"

"Inside a volcano? I guess it makes fire abundant." She was slightly confused. Lord Sesshomaru had taken her there as a child a few times and she certainly didn't remember any lava. Just a giant demon skull.

"Well sort of, it is on the volcano to the west of here. Few days flight. He makes his own fire though, out of his mouth. You sure you're going to be okay? You seem kind of out of it."

"I'm fine," she lied and smiled. "Go now, come back and see me soon." He hugged her.

"Of course I will." He let go of her. "Well I've got to pry Kirara out of Sango's grip. I will be back for your birthday!"

"Bye." She waved as he ran down the path into the village to find his sister. They had traveled up the path to her favorite well to fetch water for Ah-Un. Now he stood lapping the water noisily out of the buckets. In the distance the sun was setting and she could see the village at the bottom of the hill. The people looked like faceless ants as they finished up in the fields before heading off to their homes. As the sun continued to go down, lights came on inside the huts as people lit candles. Sometimes the lights would float out into the streets but those were few. It was still pretty bright out. Ah-Un let out a grunt behind her. Turning, she saw he had finished his water and was playing with the crank system.

"Do you want some more?" The demon nodded it's heads up and down, causing her to laugh. She dropped the first bucket down the well again. Pulling it out, she gave it to the head she had named Un. After retrieving the second bucket she gave it to the other one she named Ah. He continued to drink as it grew darker. She didn't want to be out after dark, but then he would be able to fly them back without the villagers finding out. She leaned her head against the dragon demon's hide and buried her face in his scales. His breathing moved her up and down, the scales scratching at her cheeks. She smiled against him. Ah-Un didn't need her, but she wasn't a burden to him, they were together because they liked each other, not because of any responsibility towards each other.

As she leaned there with her eyes closed, face full of his hide she felt something nuzzle her hair. Turning her head, she was met with Un's head less than an inch from her face. She smiled. "I take it you're done?" he nodded. "Let me get one more bucket for Lady Keade and me then we can fly home. It is dark enough now."

She pushed herself off from his side and grabbed the nearest bucket. Dropping it down the well, she heard it splash before she began cranking it slowly back up. Un grabbed a hold of the handle when she had heaved the bucket all the way to the top and Ah grabbed the empty bucket. She scratched both noses before climbing on his back. "Let's go," she said and he took off into the sky.

Below she could see a few dancing lights of villagers in the streets. It was almost completely dark now. Way too dark at least for any of them to spot her and Ah-Un. They silently touched down in front of her and Lady Keade's home. She jumped off his back and went around to his heads.

"Thank you, Ah-Un." She grabbed the empty bucket from Ah and put it just outside the door to her home. "Go sleep," she said as she took the full bucket from his Un. He huffed a happy huff at her and flew off. She knew she would find him in his fake pin in the morning. He was always there happy to greet her. She wished she had taken him with her to the lake. Sighing, she turned on her heels and went inside.

"Just in time for dinner, Rin. Did you bring water?" Rin held up the bucket and brought it to the miko. "Good we have rice and pork. Would you make the tea?" She nodded and scooped some water into a pot to boil before adding the leaves.

"Kohaku left," Rin stated.

"Yes, I saw him go. Quite an adventure these last few days have been. I sent Inuyasha to a friend of mine. See if she knows anything about the demon that attacked you two. He'll be back in a couple days, hopefully with some news." Rin nodded as she poured the tea into two cups and they ate in silence.

Rin began collecting the dishes. "How did Saki's wedding go?" Rin had missed it, she hadn't wanted to see anyone from the village and spent the last few days with Ah-Un mostly. Saki wasn't really a friend so she didn't feel bad.

"Oh, it was good. She seems to be adjusting well to married life now. Her mother is hoping she will have a grandchild to play with in a year." Lady Keade tossed dirt onto the little fire, putting it out.

"That's good." Rin dumped the dishes into the bucket, starting to clean them.

"When you are done there, go to bed. You need your sleep." Lady Keade headed into their shared bedroom.

"I will," she called after the old miko.

They took only a few minutes, then she was removing her outer kimono, laying her head down to sleep.

_Rin tasted dirt. It had a weird and heavy aftertaste to it. It tasted like blood. No not just any blood, her blood. She tried to stand but her body wouldn't move. Something was tugging her arms and legs. She could hear growling. But there was no pain, just cold._

"_It is time. You belong to me now." The voice echoed through her, and she shook. The growling was gone. She tried to remember what it was . Wolves, she thought, running from wolves was the last thing she remembered before she tasted the dirt and her blood._

"_Bring her to me." The same voice. Darkness swirled in her vision and the dirt was gone. She floated in dense blackness. Below her, she could see shapes walking. A white haired demon and a young demon slayer. Such strange company, she thought, a demon slayer and a demon. _

"_You will not escape me this time!" A thick black hand grabbed her, clenching her tight. She was limp, she wanted to scream but couldn't, her body rejected her commands, as if it wasn't hers anymore._

"_I can't be bothered to look after you any further." This time the white haired demon spoke. But to who? Probably to her. Yes it must have been to her. That was why he left her here in the dark with the voice. The crushing voice that wanted her more than anything._

"_I will not let him take you away from me again!" It was angry now, her body began to burn. Why? What was happening? What was it doing to her? Why did it want her? "You belong to me! Your body is dead, your soul is mine!"_

_She was falling, limp as a doll. Rin wanted to cry, but her body betrayed her. She could do nothing but fall, until the warmth. Yes, the warmth. It saved her. She was no longer falling but everything was black and dark. Far away, she could still see the white haired demon and the boy. They carried a body through a hole, a hole in the middle of nowhere. They were gone, but she was still warm. She was safe. Why in this empty black abyss did she feel so warm and safe?_

"_Fight, I will fight and I will win." The same voice but weaker now. It wanted to fight her? "You will be mine. I will make you suffer for leaving me. Not once but twice, now! You will SUFFER!" It was raising its voice yet becoming so much quieter at the same time. "You belong to me! I own you!" The warmth left, she was cold and alone._

Rin woke with a start. She was breathing heavily. Shaking her head she tried to think. Was it a dream? But it felt so real. _I can't be bothered to look after you any further._ Yes, that was what the white haired demon, her Lord Sesshomaru, had said to her. So the water demon was right, he did leave her because she was a burden. No. What was she thinking, it was just a dream! Hugging her blanket closer she shuddered. Maybe if she could fight...

Rin's eyes opened wide. That was it! If she was no longer a burden, her Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't mind if she followed him. If she could take care of herself she could spend the rest of her days at his side. She could fight with him like Jaken did.

The young girl, now an adult, quietly got out of bed. Fumbling around she grabbed a kimono—she couldn't tell which one in the dark—and dressed herself. Careful not to wake the old miko, she kissed her lightly on the cheek and whispered, "Thank you Lady Keade."

Tiptoeing out the door, she looked around. It was a quarter moon, plenty of light to see by. She made her way to Ah-Un, hoping the demon had stayed in his little home. She silently crept past the houses, counting as she went so she didn't miss the turn in the dark. It was the eighth hut down that she was supposed to turn at.

"Where you going?"

"Yeah, where you going?" Two small voices pipped up and Rin nearly jumped out of her skin. Sango's daughters, Hana and Haruhi were sticking their heads out of their hut's door.

Rin knelt down so she could see almost eye level with them. "Shouldn't you two be asleep?"

"We heard noises!"

"Strange noises!" They squealed happily.

"We looked."

"Look we did."

"And we found you!"

"Yup, you!"

Rin tried to quiet the girls."Shhhh, please, you're parents won't be happy if you wake them up now will they."

"No," the girls spoke at the same time, pouting.

"But where are you going?"

"I have to go away for a little while." She smiled wishing they would just go back to sleep.

"Away?"

"Why do you have to go away?"

Rin was tiring of this, she couldn't even tell which one was which in the moonlight. "Don't worry I'll be back one day. Go back to sleep or your mother will make you do extra work in the morning. She'll think you don't work enough and are up all night. Do you want to do more work?"

"No!" They shouted together a little louder than Rin had wished.

"Well go back to bed and I won't tell your mother you were up, okay?" Empty threat, she wouldn't even have told Sango they were up if she would have seen their mother soon.

"Good night Rin!"

Why did they always talk like that? It kindof irritated her sometimes. This being one of them. "Good night." She watched their heads disappear back into their hut. That was a close one. She started her walk down to Ah-Un. She was almost caught, hopefully Lady Keade was right and Inuyasha would be gone for a few days. Last thing she needed was his nose hunting her down. This was something she needed to do. Then her Lord Sesshomaru would accept her and let her follow him.

Ah-Un greeted her with a grunt. Good thing he was here. If she had to go find him, who knew how long it would have taken before she was able to leave.

"We're going on a trip Ah-Un. I am going to become a strong fighter, so Lord Sesshomaru will accept me." Ah-Un nuzzled her hair. "Let's get out of here before anyone wakes up, okay?" He nodded his heads and she climbed on his back. "Let's go Ah-Un, we have a long flight ahead of us." Rin leaned into the demon's mane, holding on as he took flight. "We need to go that way." She pointed to the mountain far off to the west and Ah-Un headed there.

Lady Keade woke to the sun shining through the small window in her room. Slowly she sat up, her old bones aching. The bed next to her was empty and a mess. That girl, Lady Keade thought as she pulled herself out of bed. What was she going to do with her? The old miko dressed and made up her bed, she left the second bed a mess. Rin needed to clean up her own messes. Where was that girl anyways?

She made herself breakfast while waiting for Rin to pop her head in and join her but she never came. Perhaps she was out working for one of the villagers. Lady Keade finished her meal but she had no tea, Rin hadn't brought water from the well before leaving. Even when Rin got up early she had always made sure to bring water for the old miko. Lady Keade was now beginning to worry, it would be best to go find her.

The red and white clad woman slowly wandered around the village, examining everyone working in the fields. There was no sign of the girl. Spotting Sango hanging clothes out to dry near their hut she headed over. Perhaps the former demon slayer had seen the girl.

"Good morning, Sango." Lady Keade greeted the woman.

"Oh, good morning Lady Keade, is there something I can do for you?" She bowed, showing respect to the old woman.

The miko looked worried. "Have you seen Rin? She was gone when I woke up this morning and I can't find her or Ah-Un."

"No, I haven't. I'm sorry." Sango grabbed another piece of clothing and folded it over the wire. Hana and Haruhi ran up the path towards them, followed shortly by Miroku carrying their son Jirou on his shoulders.

"Granny Keade how are you this morning?" Hana wore a blue kimono and smiled.

"Yes! Granny Keade, this morning is good isn't it?" Haruhi was dressed in a similar but red kimono.

"Oh, I am good young ones." She turned back to Sango. "Let me know if you see her please."

"See who?" Miroku put his son on the ground and turned back to the miko.

Sango continued folding the laundry. "Rin, she seems to be missing."

"Oh, well I am sure there is nothing to worry about. Did she not say anything when you last saw her?" Miroku questioned and Lady Keade shook her head.

"She said she had to go away!" Haruhi ran circles around her sister.

"Yes, away!" Hana joined in the running.

"Away? What do you mean?" Lady Keade was surprised.

"Well, we saw her."

"Last night."

"Yeah last night and she told us."

"Told us that she was going away."

"But we shouldn't worry."

"Nope, don't worry."

"She was coming back one day."

"Yup, she is coming back!"

"Last night? But I didn't see her leave." Lady Keade was very confused by the girls' erratic speech pattern and the news they were giving her.

"Well, it was late." Haruhi looked scared at her mother.

"Very late." Hana hung her head.

"We couldn't sleep." Haruhi said as Hana shook her head.

"We were playing a game. Right Haruhi?" Hana kept her eyes on the ground.

"Right Hana. We were playing with acorns."

"Seeing who could bounce them further."

"I won!"

"No you didn't, I won!"

"Liar, it was me!" They grabbed each others arms and started pushing.

"Girls, girls! Get back to what happened. Please." Sango pleaded.

"Oh yeah, well everyone else was asleep."

"And we heard a noise outside."

"So we looked and Rin was walking by."

"She was carrying something."

"She told us she had to go away for awhile."

"She didn't tell us why."

"Nope, she didn't tell us why."

"Just that she would be back and that we should go to bed."

"Cause mamma would give us more work."

"Mhm, more work so we wouldn't be awake."

"She said she wouldn't tell momma we were up."

"Please don't make us do more work mamma!" They both turned speaking now to Sango.

"Please, please don't! We promise to stay in bed." The girls frowned and had tears in their eyes.

"You aren't in trouble. You did a good thing to tell us what happened. Go off and play, okay?" Sango smiled at her children.

"Yay!" They shouted together before running off. Jirou was hot on their heels.

"I'm sorry, Lady Keade. I wish they had woken us." Sango walked over next to her husband. "Do you want us to visit the villages around here? See if they have seen her?"

"No." Lady Keade shook her head. "If she isn't back before Inuyasha I will ask him to go look for her." She smiled, trying to tell the couple that she was sure Rin would be back before then. "She probably just went to go do some trading. I'll have to scold her for not telling anyone she was leaving." Lady Keade turned, leaving Sango and Miroku to finish their work. She didn't believe what she just told the couple. Rin wouldn't go on business like that without telling her. Lady Keade looked up into the sky. Well, wherever Rin was she had Ah-Un with her. He would keep her safe.

**A/N:**

**I do not own Inuyasha or the characters. I am merely a fan of the series who speculates on the future of the characters.**

**I had this done three weeks ago but my beta is sloooooow. Though I still love her 3  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"Are we even going the right way?" Rin asked Ah-Un as he drank from the river. He didn't lift either of his heads. She sighed. He wouldn't know, she'd just pointed him towards the mountain she thought was the volcano. "We should be there by now," she grumbled, walking over, she leaned against his side, feeling his cool scales against her cheek. "Maybe I should have just let you pick the direction."

It had been five days since she left the village in the middle of the night. She regretted leaving like that sometimes, but there was no way she could go back now, everyone was probably upset with her for disappearing. If they even welcomed her back, she didn't know if she could make herself leave again, she missed Lady Keade terribly. She even missed Sango's annoying little twins.

"Well, we should be off." Ah-Un raised his heads from the water as she hauled herself onto his back. He huffed at her so Rin patted him on the base of his necks and he flew into the sky.

Once they were a ways up in the air, Rin looked around, trying to figure out where they had gone wrong. The mountain she had originally set out for had turned out to be just a mountain, not a volcano. She leaned forward, hugging Ah's neck, and closing her eyes. "We need to find Totosai, Ah-Un." The dragon let out a small roar.

Her heart beat fast against her chest as Ah-Un's mane whipped in and around her face. What if Totosai refused to help her? She had no money and couldn't pay him. From what she remembered the few times he had come to the village while she was growing up, he was none too pleasant. She'd often thought the old demon had lost his mind, all alone up there in the mountains except for that three eyed cow, and Myoga, the little flea demon. She was surprised that flea hadn't died by now, as often as Inuyasha crushed it between his fingers.

Rin buried her face into Ah-Un's hair, hiding from the wind, the demon's smell filled her, reminding her of her time with Lord Sesshomaru. This would work, it had to work. She would make Totosai help her, she would...

When Rin awoke she was still holding Ah's neck while he slept in a grassy field. Below them was a village.

"Ah-Un where are we?" She poked the demon awake. He stared at her and let out an unhappy huff. Rin understood what he was trying to tell her. She slid off his back and walked down to the village to ask for directions. It was a decent sized village. The merchants all over told her that this one wasn't isolated like her home. Hopefully she would be able to find someone to help her.

"Excuse me." Rin tapped an older, heavy-set woman on the shoulder.

The woman turned around to look at her. "Whore," she muttered before walking away.

Rin stood there confused. Why did that woman call her a whore.?She looked down at herself. Her beautiful kimono was covered in dirt and slightly ripped, she had accidentally grabbed her orange and white kimono that reminded her so much of her time with Lord Sesshomaru in the dark. It saddened her to see it like this but that explained clothes kept in a sorry state, and she was of age, traveling alone—yup, they would think she was a prostitute.

She sighed, this was going to be more difficult than she thought. Even though they would never venture out to find one, humans still knew of demons like Totosai. Rin had thought she would be able to find someone who knew of him rather easily, those in the metal-smith trade tended to know of the more famous ones. Totosai had been the blade-smith to Inuyasha and her Lord Sesshomaru's father, The Great Dog Demon. There was no way that the human metal-smiths hadn't heard of him. Of course that was a really long time ago. More than one human life span, Rin frowned, reminded of her own mortality measured against her Lord Sesshomaru's.

"Young lady, can I help you with something?" Rin, brought out of her thoughts, turned to see an older man talking to her as he eyed her up and down.

"Oh!" She smiled. Perhaps she could find some help here after all. "I'm looking for a blade-smith named Totosai. Do you know of him or know of someone who might?"

The man's smile faded and he looked her over again. "Um no, sorry." He quickly turned and left her standing alone among the crowds. She sighed, he too must have thought her to be a 'lady of the evening', trying to buy some time with her.

Rin walked down the isles of the trading market, looking at the signs outside the doors. There were numerous clothing stores, basket weavers, all sorts of different domestic crafts. Some of the work she saw was absolutely beautiful. The kimonos hanging up to try and lure people inside were brilliantly colored, a few of the dyes were exotic colors foreign to this land. There must be a prosperous trade market with foreigners, maybe even demons. Ah-Un had definitely picked a good village to check in, but her sorry appearance was hindering her efforts.

Up a head she saw a group of women who looked old enough to be grandmothers outside a shop selling paintings. Perhaps she could use their age as an advantage? They certainly had daughters about as old as her. Quickly she scanned the ground for a rock. Finding one, she ducked behind a shop and dug it into her cheek, wincing as it drew blood.

She crept out from behind the shop and walked up to the women. "Excuse me..." she spoke as pitifully as she could to them while holding her arm like she hurt it. "Can you help me?"

"Oh, are you kalright, child?" One woman reached out to touch her shoulder. "You're bleeding."

Another spat at her. "Leave her alone she is obviously a whore."

The first woman came to her defense. "Don't be silly she is just a child!" She turned back to Rin, "Come, we'll get you cleaned up. My name is Miho." Miho led Rin down the path while two other women followed. The one who had called her a whore stayed behind, an annoyed look on her face.

Away from the merchants shops, they passed along side streets before reaching what Rin believed was the housing area. They were not large homes, but larger than the small two room hut she had lived in with Lady Keade. She was led to one that had to have several rooms and once inside they drew her a bath and took her kimono to wash it. This wasn't exactly the reaction she wanted. She just wanted them to answer her questions without insulting her.

"What has happened to you?" they questioned her as they helped her get cleaned up.

"My... my father sent me to find a master blade-smith named Totosai." She thought quickly, trying to make herself cry but she only managed a little sobbing. "But I was attacked by bandits on my way there. I barely escaped with my life."

"Oh, you poor thing! Good thing they weren't demons! Unfortunately though, there is no one here by that name. Perhaps one of the metal-smiths here will have heard of him." Miho smiled and wrapped Rin in a dress robe. "Come eat with us. You can go when you are rested."

"I don't want to impose. Your kindness has been more than I ever hoped for." Rin was starting to feel guilty. She had only wanted directions and these women were doting on her.

"No such nonsense! You remind me of my daughter, to be honest. But I'm afraid she is no longer with us. Childbirth was too much for her." Tears formed in Miho's eyes. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I turned you away. You look so much like her."

Rin bowed. "Thank you." Now she was starting to feel really horrible.

"Come join us for lunch." The three women sat down, motioning for her to join them. "We do alright here, we just got some fresh eel this morning."

Rin couldn't help but smile. "Thank you very much." She sat down at a table with the three women she now knew as Miho, Reina and Aya and a servant came and delivered their food. These women must be well off to have a servant, maybe she didn't feel as guilty.

While she ate, they bombarded her with questions about where she was from, how long she had traveled and why she was traveling alone. She did her best, trying to come up with convincing stories so the women wouldn't catch her lie. When lunch was finished the same servant brought back her kimono, clean with rough stitching closing the few tears.

She traced her finger over the stitches. "Thank you so much. I should be on my way." She stood and bowed, excusing herself to go change.

The kimono was warm. The servant cleaned it fast but her sewing left much to be desired. It saddened her that she let such damage happen to the kimono. It was the last gift she had received from her Lord Sesshomaru and it reminded her so much of the very first one he had given her. As she braided her wet hair down her back she wondered if all of this was even worth it, would she even be able to find her Lord Sesshomaru? If she found him, would she finally be good enough for him? Rin sighed and tied off her braid with an orange ribbon, her favorite color, before stepping out of the room to bid farewell to the three women.

The women looked her over, praising her. "You look so pretty!"

"How are you not married?"

"You know I have a son you would love if you would like to meet him!"

She smiled at them and shook her head. "I must really be going. My father is waiting for me and I am already a few days behind because of the bandits," she said, hoping that was the same as the story she had told them in the beginning.

"Of course, of course." Miho stood. "Come, we'll take you to our best blacksmith. He will know of this Totosai." She took Rin by the hand and led her out of the home, the two other women following behind.

As they walked they continued talking but Rin had been able to switch the conversation to what this village was like. They took much joy in telling her about how well they did in trade and that all three married brothers, who were samurai. It wasn't long before they reached their destination.

"Here he is." Miho pointed inside where Rin saw an elderly man pounding away at a slab of hot metal. It looked like he was making a spade. "Riku, our master blacksmith!"

"Thank you very much." Rin bowed to the women. "If there is anything I can do to repay your kindness please let me know."

The women smiled at her as they turned to leave. "Just be safe on your way home." Rin returned the smile and waved as they disappeared in the crowd. She sighed in relief, still feeling guilty for having deceived them, she hopped to avoid them on her way out.

Turning back to the forge, she hesitated before rapping lightly on the frame of the building to let the blacksmith know she was there.

He looked up. "What?"

Rin bowed deeply. "My apologies for disturbing you but I was told that you might be able to help me."

He stood up eying her. "I am very busy and my prices don't run cheap."

Remaining in her bow she spoke towards the floor. "I am only here for information. I am looking for a blade-smith named Totosai. Have you heard of him?"

Riku nodded. "I've heard of him," he said."He is a would a woman like you want with a demon?" he sounded surprised.

Rin stood. "My village is plagued by demons. My husband sent orders to him to make us some weapons to help us defend ourselves. He assured us that using demonic weapons would ensure our victory. I am going to pick them up but I am afraid I have lost my way."Another lie, she frowned at herself, her father had always told her lying was one of the worst things a person could do and here she was now. Boy, he must be proud of her. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"I do." The old man spat into the ground. "But he lied to you. Demon weapons are impossible to control for a human."

She bowed slightly again. "It is our only hope. Please, I just need directions."

"Fine." He pointed down the road to her right. "He is a long walk south, after a few days you will find a mountain covered in ash and smoke, that is where he lives. The climb up will take you nearly twice as long as the walk." He smirked at her meager and soft frame. "It'll take you about a week to get there... if you make it."

Rin didn't take the bait. "Thank you very much." She bowed a final time and began walking the way he indicated.

"Wait!" he called after her. "You can't trust a demon!"

She waved at him behind her head, never turning around, behind her she heard him laugh something about her being crazy. She smiled to herself. if she didn't have Ah-Un with her she would be concerned.

There were numerous artisan shops around here. Several blacksmiths and blade-smiths bangedaway at the metal, their fires raising the temperature. Rin pulled at the neck of her kimono as she started to sweat. She wished she had money to buy some food but she had used that up on the second day. It had been a long time since she traveled like this. She never realized just how spoiled and squishy she had gotten during all those years in the village. Now she was back to sneaking melons from fields, grilling her own catch and foraging for berries. At least she was still used to catching fish. She shuddered thinking back to the demon at the lake, feeling his hold and his slime on her. It had been nine days ago if she counted right.

Rin bowed as she passed the guards at the end of the village. Odd, she hadn't passed any on the way in. Perhaps Ah-Un had landed in an empty area inside the village. It didn't really matter, though. She kept walking until the guards were out of sight.

Once she was a good distance away from the village Rin turned back towards it. The grassy hill hid it from her view. She called, "Ah-Un!" spooking a few birds. She waited a little bit but the dragon didn't show up. Strange, he could always hear her. "Ah-Un!" she called again. Still nothing. Maybe the demon had been spotted? She should have walked back to him instead of trying to avoid Miho and her friends.

Rin started back to the village, stopping just as she could see an overview of it and the hill she left the dragon on. There was a dark green spot in the grass over there. Frowning, she dropped into the grass and called again. "Ah-Un!" The guards looked in her direction, but they didn't see her hidden in the grass. In the distance she saw the dark green spot rise out of the grass. Now he was coming. She crept slowly backwards, trying not to catch the guards attention and waited for the dragon.

As he landed next to her he gave her a confused look. "Sorry Ah-Un, there were some women I wanted to avoid." She scratched Un's head.

"Demon! Step away from the girl!"

Both Rin and Ah-Un looked over at the shouter. The guards had seen him land and were running toward them, swords drawn.

"Oh, no." Rin climbed on the dragon's back and grabbed his reins. "Let's go!" He took off quickly, leaving the guards below. They were out of reach before the guards had time to put away their swords and draw their bows.

"Sorry about that. I tried to be out of their sight but I don't think you heard me the first couple times I called you." She petted both heads' manes. "I got directions though. We are supposed to head south. Walking, it would take few days yo reach the mountain covered in ash. I think we will make it to Totosai's before nightfall."

The dragon roared quietly and turned south.

* * *

The mountain was surrounded by a choking cloud of ash. Rin covered her face with the neck of her newly repaired kimono. "I think this is it," she said through the fabric.

Ah-Un lowered his elevation. She couldn't see a thing through the thick smoke but she trusted the demon. Sure enough they were soon below the ashy cloud and she could see into a large crater on the side of the volcano. Amidst the gray of the surface was a dingy skull—the skull she recognized from her childhood when her Lord Sesshomaru had brought her here once.

The dragon demon landed on the barren surface allowing Rin to slide off. Making her way to the skull, she looked through the gaps in a few of the skull's teeth. Flames soared and sparks flew as hammer slammed into metal with a clang that bounced around the demon skull. She behind the teeth,, having only met Totosai a few times she gulped, why had she thought he would help her?

"What do you want?" Totosai spoke as he continued to pound on the glowing metal.

Rin jumped, she hadn't realized he knew she was there. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the skull's teeth and dropped to the floor in the most respectful of bows. "Master Totosai, I have come... I need..." she stammered, unsure how to ask him.

"Well, what is it?" He stopped working on the sword and turned to look at the girl. He was surprised to see it was a human girl, and bowing like that to him.

"I need a sword!" she spat out, never lifting her head from the ashen floor.

"Hmm?" He stood and made his way towards her. "I only make demon weapons. What could you need a demon sword for?" He eyed her suspiciously. Who was this girl? She looked very familiar. He glanced outside the skull and saw Sesshomaru's beast of burden. He jumped back in shock, this had to be the girl that Sesshomaru allowed to follow him.

"I need it... I need to become strong." She wasn't exactly sure how this was going to go. "I can't pay you but I can be very useful." She lifted her head but the old man was no longer in front of her. She looked around, finally seeing him behind her in what looked like a state of panic staring out the opening at Ah-Un. "Umm, are you okay?

"What?" He turned back to her. "Yes, yes I'm fine. What is your name?"

She turned around, still on her knees, "I am Rin. Please will you help me?"

Totosai stood there looking at the woman, scratching his chin. "No."

Rin's heart skipped a beat in her chest. She had suspected he would reject her request but she hadn't come up with a good way to make him change his mind her. "Please Master Totosai, I know of no other blade-smith anywhere near as good as you."

"I am far too busy." He brushed past her, walking back to his fire.

Standing, Rin followed him. "Then let me help you. I can clean, cook, fetch supplies-"

He considered for a moment. "I guess you could sweep," Totosai interrupted her.

Rin looked around her. Not only was the ground covered in ash, it was made of ash. "Sweep?" She pushed some of the ash away with her foot revealing more ash below. Sweep what, exactly? The entire volcano away? She was starting to think this wasn't going to work.

Totosai sighed as the girl played in the ash with her toe. If he didn't help her Lord Sesshomaru would certainly kill him. As much as he protested, it looked like he didn't have much choice. "It will take some time to make. Just a sword?"

Rin jumped and looked at him, surprised by the comment. "Um... Yes I don't want to cause too much trouble." Her mood started to brighten, maybe this was going to work after all.

"Have you ever handled a sword before?" She shook her head. "Hmm. Have you ever used a demonic weapon?" Rin shook her head again. "Well I can't make you too strong of a sword, otherwise the demonic power could overtake you." Sesshomaru would certainly kill him if that happened. "I have some materials that I could use possibly. It'll have to be purified, though."

"So you will help me?" She looked up at the old demon, a huge smile on her face.

"Yes." The last thing he wanted was Sesshomaru after him for refusing to help this girl. "But you said you can't pay?" Totosai sighed again as Rin shook her head, just like Sesshomaru to send her to him without any money. "Well you can work off the payment by doing chores for me, I suppose. I have a lot of other work to do as well, so it will be about three weeks before your sword is done."

"Three weeks?" She looked up at him, disappointment in her eyes.

"Yes." He didn't really need that long but he could use a free servant. As long as Sesshomaru didn't catch on. "Did Sesshomaru give you a time frame he wanted you back in or something?"

Rin gulped, he thought she was here because of Lord Sesshomaru. "Uhh... no!" She nervously stammered out. "He said it would take time and I was not to return until it is done." She prayed he believed her.

Totosai inwardly sighed in relief. "Then it is set. I will make your sword, you will work off the debt, and in three weeks you can leave. You should also use some of this time to practice using a sword." He pointed to a rack of weapons. "You should start with the wooden one on the floor."

Rin nodded. "Thank you, Master Totosai!"

Totosai waved her away mumbling, "Yeah... yeah..."

So Rin worked, and when she didn't work, she practiced. When exhaustion overtook her, she slept on a mat outside the skull with Ah-Un and foraged for food in the forest below.

* * *

Kohaku's cheeks burned as the young daughter of the village elder smiled at him.

"Thank goodness you have come, young man! Our village is being plagued by a group of fox demons! We need them exterminated," the village elder explained while the demon slayer kept eying his daughter.

"Fox demons? They aren't usually dangerous." He puffed his chest out and the girl giggled, Kirara struggled to stay on his shoulder, only half listening to the village elder.

"They trick us! They lead good men astray from their wives. They steal food and let our animals out!" The old man waved his arms around as he spoke.

Kohaku turned his attention to the elder now. "Well, I am sure I can take care of your problem." He bowed and turned towards the edge of the forest that was claimed to be the demons' home. Kohaku smiled, this was going to be an easy assignment. He guessed it was just an exam and they would be gone in a few days.

Kohaku walked down the forest path with a miniaturized Kirara at his heels while multiple pairs of eyes stared down on them. Those were the demons, he was sure of it. His armor and weapon kept them at bay. They were no threat and he had no desire to kill any of them. He just hoped to persuade them to leave the villagers alone. No lives needed to be lost today.

"I just want to speak to you guys," he called into the trees but met only silence in return. He frowned. "I will kill you if I have to, but I'm sure that is unnecessary." He removed his kusarigama from his back only half-bluffing.

"Kohaku?" a small voice pipped up from a hole in a nearby tree. It sounded familiar.

"Shippo?" Kohaku looked and found the small fox demon hiding in the hole. "Surprised to see you here. What is going on? Why is everyone picking on the villagers?"

"Can't really talk right now, I'm in the middle of a test." Shippo held up three of his little fingers. "We have three days to earn as many points as possible."

Kohaku sighed, he was right it was just an exam. "When will it be over with?"

"Today is the last day. Once the sun sets it will be over with, but you are scaring everyone! They kept shouting a demon slayer was here and gonna kill us all, but it is only you." Shippo shrugged with a smile on his face then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait..." He backed away.. "You wouldn't kill us, would you?"

"No... I guess not." Kohaku shook his head. "Try and go easy on them, will you? And you'll stop as soon as the exam is over with, right?"

"Yes, I'll talk to you later!" Shippo grinned and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Around Kohaku, a couple dozen more smoke puffs signaled to him that the others were going too. He wondered if they appointed Shippo to talk to him or if it was because the fox demon recognized him that he spoke up.

Kohaku sat down against a tree, resting his weapon next to him. Kirara started batting at a bug she had spotted in the dirt, they were going to have to wait till that night to say they had removed all of the demons. The sound of hooves stomping, people screaming, and things falling over from the village echoed through the trees. He sighed and watched the sky turn orange and the light fade. Wouldn't be long now.

"Did you get rid of the demons?" A female voice caught him off guard, quickly standing he picked up his weapon, holding it ready to swing. The young woman stumbled back in terror. It was the village elder's daughter.

"Oh, you startled me," he said as he dropped his weapon to the forest floor. "Sort of. I'm... I'm waiting for one to fall into a trap. These kinds of demons can be difficult to find." His face grew hot again, this girl was beautiful. A small delicate frame, long black silky hair, snow white skin, and a soft face with dimples that glowed in the setting sun.

She smiled at him and it entranced him, "I wish I could repay you for this service." She stepped closer to him, tugging at the neck of her robe and touching his arm. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Her full lips were a rosy red, her deep chocolate eyes catching the sun's setting rays.

Kohaku's heart pounded in his ears, his face was on fire and his arm burned where she touched him, she smelled of an unearthly intoxicating aroma. He gulped, "Um... um..."

"I'm sure there is something I can do." She leaned into him, less than an inch from his face, the light fading fast. Their shadows elongated on the trees, he leaned in to kiss her when he noticed her tail twitch. Wait, tail?

"Your transformation isn't complete." He turned away from her, folding his arms, all the heat in his body fading away as quickly as it had come, he had been deceived by fox magic.

"Oh, come on, I was sure I had you!" As the sun set the girl turned into Shippo with a _poof_ and a piece of paper fell into his hands. "Darn it, just a few points shy of the next level." He frowned and plopped to the ground.

Kohaku took a seat next to him. "So everyone is going to leave?"

The young demon pouted. "I guess so. No point in staying around her now."

"Hey, look on the bright side, if you hadn't forgotten your tail I would have been totally fooled." He stood up. "Guess I can go tell them their demons are gone."

"I know, it was a beginner's mistake! Stupid stupid stupid." He buried his face in his little hands.

Kohaku sighed. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You'll do better next time. You should have seen what happened to Rin and me a couple weeks ago. Got our butts kicked by a water demon. Had to be saved by Inuyasha." He smiled, embarrassed.

"Yeah, Kagome told me about that, I was there last week. Left when I got the summons for this exam. Everyone is still really worried." Shippo looked downcast.

"Worried about what?" Kohaku sat back down next to Shippo and Kirara jumped in his lap with a small mew. "Inuyasha killed the demon... I haven't had any ill effects from the dye... or whatever it was." Kohaku poked his legs, hidden underneath the black spandex armor.

"Not about that." Shippo looked at him confused. "About Rin."

"What happened to Rin?" Now Kohaku was the one who looked confused.

"Hmm... you don't know?" Shippo said, "Oh I guess you left the day before. Well, Rin is missing."

Kohaku's eyes widened as he stared at the little fox demon. "Missing?"

"Yeah, the morning after you left Lady Keade woke up and Rin and Ah-Un were gone. Sango's daughters said they saw her leave in the middle of the night. Just saying she had to go away for awhile. No one can find her now." Shippo nervously played with the grass in front of him. "Stupid Inuyasha, he said he tried to find her but I don't believe him."

"Why not?" Kohaku kept playing the last four days he saw Rin in his head. She had definitely been acting strange but he didn't think she was going to run away or something.

"With his nose he should have been able to find her. But all he said was that he couldn't pick up her scent. He looked for a couple days but found no sign of her." The grass blade ripped in his fingers.

"Does Lord Sesshomaru know?"

Shippo shook his head."I haven't heard of him visiting in over a year and a half now." Shippo looked up into Kohaku's face with tears in his eyes. "Do you think that is why she left? To go find him?"

"Maybe." But Kohaku doubted it, Rin had always seemed happy believing with all her heart he would come back and take her away. "I think I know where she is," he lied and smiled, hoping to make the fox demon feel better. Rin and Shippo had become close over the years, he thought that maybe the fox demon reminded her of Jaken. "I'll look for her, okay? You don't need to worry though. She has Ah-Un."

Shippo sniffed. "Yeah, that's true."

"Cheer up." He smiled wider. "I'll let you transform into that girl again and this time I won't figure it out."

"Miroku is rubbing off on you." Shippo crossed his arms, sticking his nose in the air and Kohaku playfully pushed the demons arm.

**A/N**

**Same disclaimer as before**

**Sorry it is a little on the short side. My beta said I needed more angst so I went back and added some but it pushed the chapter to be super long so I had to move a section to the next chapter. Lord Sesshomaru shows up in the next chapter. My beta is catching up with me... maybe. I am writing chapter five and she is starting chapter four ^^ I hope she keeps up this pace so I can update once a week like I had originally planned.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Rin walked carefully among the bones and rotting corpses. The ground beneath her feet crunched and began to ooze. She shuddered. Picking up her foot, she wiped the remains of the bug on a nearby skull. There were five of them near her, all larger than she was, but none matched the description Totosai had given her. She sighed. It was going to be a long day. On her back she carried a gnarly looking saw and a rope was tied around her waist with her obi.

The closest skull was the largest and she carefully made her way to it. Standing next to it she finally realized just how big it was. Each fang was larger than she was tall. She walked to the end of the jaw and climbed onto the indent in the jawbone, picking her way up until she was on it's nose. From there she slowly crawled on all fours to the forehead. The ground below began to swim in her vision, she had never had an issue with heights while riding Ah-Un but the slippery skull and jagged bones below sent a shiver down her spine.

Off in the distance she could see the dragon demon chewing on a couple of bones he found. She smiled, that was just like him. To her left were the remains of what appeared to have once been a rather large snake demon, to her right lay pieces of a medium-sized horse demon. Totosai said she was looking for the skull of an ox, but with three horns. She was supposed to carve off the middle horn and the left canine tooth with the saw. Continuing to look around, she saw bones of whale demons, crab demons, wolf demons, even a few dog demons but no ox demon. Maybe he had sent her on a wild goose chase. She wouldn't put it past him to tell her to get something that wasn't there. Wouldn't have been the first time the spacey old man had asked her to fetch him something weird that he really didn't want.

Sighing, she sat down and edged towards the back of the skull. Carefully, she slid off and into the heaps of bones below. She landed on her feet but her momentum sent her forwards too much and she was eating a pile of neck bones.

Rin groaned as she lifted her head, she could feel a small bone stuck to her cheek. Her mood lightened when she saw what she was looking for. A few yards away was a large skull, many times as tall as her, with three horns. She was sure it was the one Totosai described. It lay on its side, left horn broken off and the middle horn cracked halfway through near the base of the skull.

Rin removed the piece of bone from her cheek and sat up. It left an indent and she had a couple cuts on her arms. Great, she thought as she stood up, brushing the dirt and bugs from her clothes. She now wore some pale blue clothes she was able to nab from a clothesline. They were too big for her and the ends were frayed where she had to cut off a few inches to keep it from dragging on the ground.

Carefully she moved towards her prize and studied the break in the third horn. She could cut through it, reducing her work to half. She smiled and unlatched the large saw from her back. Putting pressure into the blade as she pushed it away from her and pulling it back towards her, bone dust and chunks flew into the air causing her to cough. Pulling her kimono over her face she started up again.

The bones creaked and groaned as she slowly sawed away the layers until finally, with a huge crash and thousands of smaller cracks, it separated from the skull and landed in a pile of small bones, crushing them. . The dust cleared, giving her a look at the now severed horn. It spiraled from the base to the tip, the spirals inlaid with almost a checkered pattern. Strange.

This next part wasn't going to be as easy. The skull was on it's left side and he stated he wanted particularly the left tooth. She sighed and stuck the blade back in the sling on her back before climbing up the teeth like a ladder. Slidding in through the eye hole, her landing was sub-par as she fell off her feet and onto her butt. This was not her day.

"Ow," she muttered as she rubbed her sore bottom and kicked a few loose bones out of her way. Counting the teeth, she found the canine and began sawing. The dust was worse now as she had little ventilation, but she got through, the blade making a clanging sound when she hit the ground on the other side. Pushing the tooth out from under the other teeth gave her enough room to squeeze through to the outside world.

Rin pushed the freshly cut tooth over to the horn and untied the rope from around her waist. Carefully she tied the two bones together securely.

She whistled as loudly as she could and shouted, "Ah-Un!"

Hearing her, the demon flew over to her, hovering over her head. There was no room for the demon to land, so she tossed one end of the rope up to him and Ah caught it in his mouth. She sent the other end flying so Un could catch it in his. With the demon carrying both ends of the rope she stood on the bones and held onto the rope. "Lets go!" she called. Lifting her and the bones, they were off.

Below her the bones drifted past as they traveled over the graveyard. "Set down in the field!" she called up to Ah-Un. The dragon obeyed and set his load gently down in the dirt just beyond the corpses. He landed beside the large weight and waited.

Rin took the ropes from both of Ah-Un's heads, looping the ropes together she created a harness and draped it over his back. "Lets get these back to that cranky old demon and we can get back to training." She climbed up onto Ah-Un's back, holding onto the rope he took off towards the mountain. The bones swinging slightly beneath them.

Rin ducked her head against the wind, biting her lip, resisting the urge to lick them. She didn't want them to get chapped. Thankfully the trip was a short one and they were soon entering the ashy cloud around the volcano. As they flew over the various craters she spotted the old demon standing outside the skull he made his home out of. He was staring up into the sky, waiting for them, she guessed.

He watched them land with his new bones. "I was starting to think you were eaten."

Rin rolled her eyes at the demons idea of a greeting. "Nothing there but bugs, bones and decay. Disgusting, but nothing that would eat me," she said as she slid off of Ah-Un's back.

"Guess it's changed since I was last there." He shrugged and untied the bone and tooth. "Very good. You can go back to practicing... or sweeping."

Rin nodded, heading toward the mouth of the skull―he only ever wanted her to sweep―walking inside she almost fell over herself. A demon slayer in green armor, petting a small blonde cat with two tails, was sitting near the back of the skull.

"Hi Rin," Kohaku said smiling.

"Uh, Hi... What are you doing here?" Did he know she ran away? Her head was swimming, this was not what she expected when she went to grab her makeshift practice sword.

"Ah, Kohaku," Totosai came in the skull dragging behind him the tooth. "Rin is back."

Rin scowled at the old demon. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?"

"I didn't?" He scratched his head. "Oh, I thought I had." Dragging the tooth the rest of the way in, he went to work feeling it up and down, occasionally hitting it with a hammer or chisel.

Crazy old man, Rin thought as Kohaku stood up, keeping the smile on his face. Kirara jumped to the ground and ran outside.

"Come," he picked up two spare blades from the rack, "Totosai said you needed more practice."

"That's putting it lightly," Totosai mumbled from the corner of the cave as Kohaku lead Rin out.

"What are you doing here Kohaku?" Rin stammered. "Did you... need your weapon fixed?"

"Here, you need practice right?" He handed her one sword. "I'm sure I could be of more help than Ah-Un. No offense." He turned to the demon waving an apology. The dragon huffed at him.

"Um, yeah." She raised her sword, making it parallel with her face, one hand behind the blade.

"I'm not on the offensive yet. No need to start blocking, besides when you do that—" he swung his blade at her feet And she whipped her sword down and jumped backwards, Kohaku's blade skimmed the air inches away from her kimono, "—you leave your legs open."

His unrelenting smile was starting to creep her out. "Kohaku is something wrong?" Rin took a step back, just holding her sword in her hands now. He brought his sword back into his right side and ran at her. Gasping she slammed her sword into his and moved to her right, shoving him to the ground, but pain erupted from the back of her ankles as Kohaku slammed the blunt side of the sword into them, throwing her feet out in front of her. She crashed hard into the ground, her head bouncing off the ashy surface.

Kohaku's smiling face was blurry above her head and she felt a heavy weight on her chest as Kohaku pined her with his knee, forcing her to cough for air as he compressed her lungs. As her vision slowly cleared, she saw him raise the shiny blade over his head, holding it perpendicular to the ground, before bring it down directly towards her face. Instinctively she brought her arms in an X shape in front of her, as a clang sounded near her left ear. She opened her eyes, turning her head to see the blade less than an inch from her nose stuck in the ground, reflecting her tear stricken face back at her. She hadn't noticed she was crying.

"Told you." Rin looked to see Totosai standing in the doorway behind them.

Kohaku turned to him. "Yeah, I see what you mean. It's a good thing you summoned me." He slid his knee off of her.

"You called him?" Rin asked Totosai, sitting up slightly.

"Yup. Your work is very sloppy. Ah-Un is useful but you needed a real teacher. There was no way I was sending for Sesshomaru. He scares the hell out of me. Kohaku was the next reasonable choice." The old demon shrugged and turned back inside.

"Rin what are you doing here?" Kohaku sat down next to the beaten girl, he was no longer smiling. She was almost thankful for this but his look of hurt was worse than the creepy smile.

"I needed a sword." Rin shrugged, wiping the drying tears and ash from her face. Maybe everyone knew where she was after all.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need a sword?" he asked.

She ducked her head in shame. "Because, I don't belong in the village. I belong with Lord Sesshomaru. But he won't have me unless I can... unless I am strong... or something. I'm not sure."

Kohaku had no idea what that meant or what she was talking about, but it was obviously important to her for some reason, he could see that much, so he changed the subject. "You didn't tell anyone you left, or where you were going." He looked out at Kirara. She was slowly approaching Ah-Un and the dragon was sniffing her in return. "Lady Keade just woke up and you were gone."

She smiled. "I told Hana and Haruhi."

"They caught you sneaking out." He frowned at her and her smile faded. "You had everyone worried, Rin."

She sighed. "Well I guess everyone knows where I am now."

Kohaku shook his head. "No,.Myoga showed up and told me you were here, and that Lord Sesshomaru had requested he make you a sword. That isn't true, is it." He wasn't asking.

She frowned. "How do you know I ran away then?"

"I found Shippo." Kohaku leaned back on his hands. "He and a bunch of fox demons were pestering a village and I was hired to kill them. They were just doing an exam and I convinced them to leave once it was done. He had been at the village after you left. Inuyasha wasn't able to find any trace of your scent. They were just kind of hoping you would come back, nothing more they could do. After Myoga caught up with me I came straight here, didn't tell anyone that I found you. I did assure Shippo I would find you last I saw him, though."

She hugged her knees. Making everyone worry wasn't her intention but she guessed it couldn't have been helped. "When did you see Shippo?"

"Um... it was about two weeks ago now. Myoga found me this morning. Said he had been looking for me for a week. How long have you been here?" He leaned forward and grabbed a hold of his ankles.

"Um... I left the same night you did." She started counting on her fingers. "Took six days getting here."

"Six?" He looked at her confused. "It is only a three day flight, at most, from the village."

Rin buried her face in her knees embarrassed. "We got lost." In the distance she heard Ah-Un huff at them. "Okay, I was lost. Ah-Un had me stop and ask for directions."

Kohaku laughed. "Smart demon."

"Anyways so I have been here just over two weeks. Four more days until I can leave." She looked back out at Ah-Un who was now letting Kirara run around on his back.

Kohaku blinked in surprise, "Until you can leave?"

"Yeah, Totosai said it would take three weeks to make my sword and I would work off the payment. He doesn't have me do much, except sweep." She shrugged. "When I'm not working I'm training. "

"Well," Kohaku stood brushing the ash from his butt, "we don't have much time." He smiled at her extending his hand to help her up. "Let's get training."

* * *

"Lord Sesshomaru, wait for me! Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken waddled behind the demon lord calling after him. Sesshomaru neither waited nor responded. "Where are we even going, Lord Sesshomaru?" Again, no response. "Lord Sesshomaru," he pitifully mumbled.

"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshomaru's tone was cold and it sent a chill down the little demon's spine.

Jaken hung his head in silence letting his Staff of Two Heads drag behind him. They had been walking for days now and the little demon had been pestering him non stop. Jaken didn't even recognize the area they were in.

Occasionally Sesshomaru would hear Jaken jog to catch up, slow down and fall behind, then jog to catch up again letting out a small moan here and there. This repeated over and over as they walked through the path in the woods. Maybe if he had just flown them there the little demon would be quiet but it was too late now. They were nearing their destination soon and would easily make it before dawn. Sesshomaru placed one hand on his breast plate, feeling the package hidden beneath. Still there. He kept walking, the slowing and speeding footfalls following him.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken tried one more time.

"What?" Sesshomaru growled, that demon wouldn't let it go until he told him.

"Won't you tell me where we are going?" he sighed, face crestfallen.

"Do you not recognize these woods?" Sesshomaru asked.

Jaken looked around then the little demon shook his head. "No, Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru sighed inwardly, showing nothing on his face. "Look." He pointed down the path where the trees ended and a village could be seen.

"Oh?" Jaken blinked, trying to remember the village. "This is where Rin is staying with Inuyasha?"

"No." Sesshomaru said.

"Oh." Jaken hung his head again. They hadn't seen the child in so long. He actually missed her upbeat personality and hyperactivity.

"This is where Rin is staying with that old woman. Inuyasha just happens to live here as well. I would never leave her life in that half-demon's hands." Sesshomaru's voice showed anger but his face showed nothing.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I didn't think we were ever going to see her again! It has been so long since we last visited her and we completely missed her birthday last year. Oh my! It is her birthday today isn't it? It is!" The little demon jumped up and down clapping. "Oh, she is going to be so happy to see us Lord Sesshomaru!"

"Shut up." They were getting closer to the village and he didn't want the noisy little demon to wake everyone up, or continue talking in general.

The village was quiet. The homes were all dark and no one stirred as they silently walked through the path towards the hut he remembered Rin living in. It looked just like all of the others from the outside but it was next to the stairs leading up a hill to higher ground and another part of the village. Sesshomaru stopped outside the door and sniffed the air, searching for the girl's scent. It wasn't there. His memory was impeccable, this was surely the one she lived in last time, but they hadn't been here in a while, perhaps she had moved to a different one? He sniffed the air again but couldn't detect any sign of her at all. Like she wasn't in the village. Sesshomaru's heart skipped a beat as he pulled back the door hangings going inside.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you didn't even knock!" Jaken squealed behind him, not daring to follow him in.

The kitchen was empty except for a few dishes. It looked like the hut she lived in before, but her scent was nowhere to be found. He stuck his head into the only other room, there he saw every gift he had given to Rin piled neatly around an empty bed on the right, the bed on the left was also empty but had very few items around. He sniffed the air inside. There was a slight scent of Rin, or more like Rin's blood. He eyed the piles until he spotted the source—it was a tattered and bloody lavender kimono, the same he had given her the last time he saw her. Picking it up he held it to his nose. It was definitely her blood, and it was old blood. His eyes narrowed as he stormed out of the hut, nearly stepping on Jaken as the little demon hurried to get out from underfoot.

"Lord Sesshomaru what is that bloody thing?" Jaken yelled after him. Around them people began sticking their heads out of their respective homes. Looking to see who was yelling and at who. When they recognized the white haired demon they quickly pulled their heads back in. It was no secret that Rin had been missing, many believing the girl belonged to Lord Sesshomaru, wanted nothing to do with this for fear of Lord Sesshomaru's wrath upon them.

"Sesshomaru!" The demon lord turned to see Inuyasha sitting on a fence post.

"How dare you refer to Lord Sesshomaru without honors!" Jaken squawked.

"Shut up." Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha. "Where is Rin?" The lavender kimono held tightly in his fist.

"Not here," Inuyasha huffed.

"Where is she?" His tone grew colder. Jaken backed away, right into Kagome's legs.

"What do you care? You haven't been here in two years," The half-demon huffed again, slightly exaggerating Sesshomaru's absence.

"I do not wish to listen to your games. Tell me where she is." Red pooled into the full demon's eyes.

"Big brother." Sesshomaru turned to see Kagome standing behind him, belly swollen, Jaken hiding behind her legs. "We don't know where Rin is." She spied the kimono in his hand. "She left in the middle of the night over a month ago. Didn't tell anyone she was leaving or where she was going."

Inuyasha got up and moved in front of his wife. "You should have been here if you really cared." He pointed at the kimono. "I was the one that saved Rin, not you! She was fine because of me!"

"Then why don't you know where she is now?" He let out a low growl with his words.

"I was away when she left. When I got back her scent was already gone. I couldn't pick it up anywhere. She took Ah-Un with her so she could be anywhere by now," Inuyasha growled back. "Kagome, go inside," he muttered quietly to her but she shook her head.

"Pif." The yellow returned to Sesshomaru's eyes. "Of course a half-demon like yourself wouldn't be able to pick up her scent. I could have."

"Well, you weren't here!" Inuyasha barked back.

He snarled.. "You should have been watching her."

"I am not a babysitter and she is not a child anymore!" Inuyasha now tried to lightly push the miko into their home but she wasn't budging.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome quietly spoke trying to get the brothers' attention. "Please Sesshomaru it is not Inuyasha's fault. We looked for her but couldn't find her. Lady Keade woke up one morning and she was just gone."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, turning into an orb, he flew off up the nearby mountain path.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken ran out from behind Kagome's legs sobbing. "You forgot about me!"

* * *

Lady Keade stood over an older grave, the few people who lived in this village were still asleep, giving her some peace and quiet. Behind her she heard the dirt crunch softly. "I wondered when you would be here."

"You were expecting me." Sesshomaru's tone was icy.

Lady Keade turned to look at the tall demon. "You left Rin in my care, and now she is gone. Of course you would come looking for me. But I can't tell you where she is." Sesshomaru held up the lavender kimono he was still carrying. Lady Keade had tried to get rid of it but Rin had protested, after the girl had left she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. "Yes, that happened about five weeks ago now. She had gone down to the lake to catch some fish when a demon attacked her."

"She went alone?" He was getting answers and was starting to calm down.

"No," the old woman shook her head. "Kohaku was with her. She told me only a little bit of what the demon did. But she was very different after it. She tried to act normal but I could see the pain all over her face, nothing I did could get her to open up. She just kept insisting she was fine." Lady Keade walked towards the demon.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the old woman. "What did he do?"

"It wasn't what he did. From what I can tell he merely held her hostage as Kohaku fought. It was more what he said, I tried to convince her that it wasn't true but I obviously wasn't successful." Sesshomaru raised a silver eyebrow.

Taking the hint the miko continued. "He told her you abandoned her and was never coming back because she was a burden. That is shortened version that I was able to get from her." Sesshomaru's expression didn't change. "I told her that your relationship is deeper than that filth could ever understand and she shouldn't listen to him. But such doubts put into a young girl's head can start to eat away at them. It certainly didn't help that you haven't been here in over a year and a half." She cast an accusing look at him. "I hoped she had gone to find you, to be honest, but I doubted it and see now that it isn't true." She shook her head.

Sesshomaru turned to leave, she was of no more use. "Have you heard of the Red Strings of Fate?"

He turned back to her, nodding. "I know of the story, but it is just a fantasy for foolish little girls."

Lady Keade laughed lightly. "Most believe that, but I never did. Ever since I was a child I could see a red string, every single person I ever met had one tied around their finger. I asked my sister what they were but she couldn't see them, no one else seemed to see them. It amazed me how people never tripped over them. After asking around I got my answer one day, when one of the village elders of the time told me the story of the red strings. I didn't believe him. I had never seen any of the strings connected. They all just went off in separate directions heading out of the village. That was until Inuyasha showed up. The string tied around his finger was connected to the string tied around my sister's. That is how I knew Kagome was Kikyo's reincarnation. She was the same soul, new body, but the same soul, the same string, the same attachment."

The old miko walked back to the grave. "After my sister died I followed my string. It took me to this village here, this tiny little village up the mountain outside of our own. It wasn't far, we actually share a well with them." She pointed off to the left. "Here I found the person my string was tied to. He was a toothless old man, but very sweet to me." She smiled. "I talked to him about the strings, how ours were connected. While he listened to me I don't think he believed me. Shortly after he died. He had a wife, kids and grand-kids in this life. We were born too far apart. I believe that, perhaps in the next one we will be together, but not in this one."

"Why are you tell me this old woman?" Sesshomaru was losing his patience, he needed to go find Rin, not listen to this old woman babble on about lost loves.

"If you listen to me I will tell you what direction it would be best to go in." She gave him a death glare.

The demon lord folded his arms. "I'm listening."

"I have only seen a few people connected by these strings, your brother and Kikyo, then Kagome since they are the same soul. Sango's twins, Hana and Haruhi, you've met them, yes?" Sesshomaru somewhat remembered a couple of young girls who looked alike, but most humans looked alike to him. "Well they are tied together by the same strings."

"They are sisters." Sesshomaru seemed almost confused.

"I am surprised a demon of your standards would come to that thought," she laughed. "Yes, they are sisters, and both female, but their souls are tied together. They are meant to be together or they will never truly be happy. They will marry other men, but as long as they stay together they will be happy. I hoped you would be able to understand me, living through hundreds of human's lives. Maybe not." She glanced at his arm. "Either way you listened to my story, I believe Rin is west of here, but I can't be any more specific than that. I know I don't have much longer on this earth, I want to see her safe before I do go." She turned and smiled at the grave, she muttered under her breath. "Maybe next time." She looked back to where Sesshomaru was standing but he was gone now. She smiled again. Perhaps Rin would have better luck than she did.

* * *

"You really need to learn to hold still." Kohaku pulled at the obi, pushing the white demon bones into Rin's waist as she wiggled in his hands.

"You know I can never sit still." She unintentionally wiggled some more even with her sore muscles.

Kohaku sighed, tying the obi. "Turn around." She obeyed, spinning slightly with her arms out letting Kohaku inspect her. "A little too wide still, I'll have to shave the edges off a bit. Hand it back." He held out his hand as she fumbled with the knot.

"What do you want me to do?" She handed him back the unfinished armor piece.

"Run some of that energy off." He took it and turned back to the work station.

"Run?" She stuck her lip out in a pout, her muscles crying at her.

"Yeah, run. Do laps around the compound." He didn't turn to look at her.

Rin shrugged, taking off at a jog to the fence. Keeping her breathing level, she ran the perimeter inside the barrier, the grinding sounds Kohaku was making changed with her distance from him.

They had been there over five days. She kept training on her own as Kohaku crafted her a set of armor like his. She was wearing the thick black spandex, still trying to get used to the strange armor. It was flexible but thick enough to keep minor injuries out. She tugged at it while keeping her pace, wishing she had this at the lake. No way the demon's legs would have been able to cut her through this. Still it required getting used to.

The compound, as Kohaku had called it, was the remains of the demon slayer village, deserted by everyone but them. He kept a small hut here to stay in when he wasn't traveling around. The entire area was fenced in by the large wooden poles, completely hiding the inside from view, it was a fortress—an empty fortress. Remnants of the village still remained, including unused anvils and hammers, food stores, wells, training dummies. They now had their run of the forgotten town.

Rin kept count of how many times she completeed a lap. Every time she tried to push herself further, making six laps, seven, eight,going as far as she could without stopping to rest. As she pushed herself, her body changed, she was no longer soft and squishy, the small bulges were disappearing and she was becoming harder, more defined. With Kohaku driving her hard day and night her stamina was increasing, her body listened better and she could now lift more than she ever could. Sometimes she used Ah-Un or Kirara to keep pace. Trying to keep up with them as they flew a few feet off the ground. That was much harder and she could only keep up for a lap or two.

When Kohaku was busy she would spar with her new sword against the wooden stakes. Ah-Un made an excellent partner as well but the moves and strategies that Kohaku showed her were the invaluable skills.

Her heart pounded in her ears, she could no longer feel her legs screaming at her to stop. A numb feeling spread through her body as she broke the wall inside her. A little more, just a little more. She repeated in her head over and over. Sweat dripping down her face, soaking her bangs and braid. I can stop at the next turn, she told herself, but she never stopped. Making each turn a marker that would never really come. Her throat was parched but she couldn't stop. She had to keep going, keep pushing.

"Rin!" Kohaku's voice interrupted her thoughts and she slowed to a walk making her way towards him. "Let's try it now. If this fits I'll wrap the leather and seal it. We can be on our way tomorrow." He held up the crafted bone against her stomach and turned her around.

Rin was out of breath and her heart raced, her face hot from running. "We'll... fight real... demons?" The idea of finally facing a real foe made her nervous.

"Yes. I want you in the background to start with. You have only been training a month and I don't want to have to bring flowers to your grave." This time he didn't smile while using her own words back at her, as he tied the obi.

Rin swallowed. "What kind of demons will we be facing?"

"Whatever we find. Promise me Rin, if things get rough, get to safety." Rin turned her head as he held onto the knot, he met her gaze and his face showed concern and worry over her. She nodded. Letting go of the obi he pulled her into a hug. "What we do is dangerous." Kohaku was shaking, she remembered what happened to his family and the village, they had died to his hand's when Naraku was controlling him.

Returning his hug she said, "Then I better get training."

* * *

"Hmm? I thought you sent her." Totosai sat at his fire drinking, if the demon lord was going to kill him he might as well finish his cup first. After several weeks Sesshomaru had finally tracked Rin to the demon blade-smith. "She asked me to make her a sword. I had her work off the debt."

"When did you see her?" Sesshomaru glared at the old demon.

"She left with Kohaku almost two weeks ago." He took another drink. "He said he was going to make her some armor."

"Kohaku?" He raised a silver eyebrow.

"Yeah." Totosai lifted the cup in the air like he was studying it. "She said she had never held a sword so I let her practice with my spares." He pointed to the corner. "But she was so bad I summoned Kohaku here to help her."

"Why didn't you summon me?" His eyes narrowed.

The old demon nearly dropped his cup. "Well I didn't think you would want to be bothered since she claimed you told her not to come back without it."

"You should have summoned me as soon as she showed up." Sesshomaru turned to leave, behind him Totosai sighed in relief. Perhaps he would live another day.

"Lord Sesshomaru was Rin here?" Jaken squawked as he grabbed a hold Sesshomaru's fur.

"Some time ago." Sesshomaru took flight in the air, he would head to the remains of the demon slayer village. That was the only place Kohaku would be able to make Rin demon slayer armor.

"Just what is this girl doing?" Jaken annoyingly called through the air up to Sesshomaru. "What a disrespectful girl! We have to chase her all over Japan because she wasn't happy waiting for your Lordship's return. If we hadn't of heard of a demon kidnapping a young woman outside of Seiyo, we never would have known she was looking for Totosai."

"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshomaru turned his head to give the demon a death glare.

Jaken gulped. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru."

What was Rin doing? Sesshomaru had been asking himself this since he found out she was missing. Had the old women been right? Had his absence upset the girl so much that when that weak demon put the thoughts in her head she was so easily taken in? No, humans were weak-minded, true, but not his Rin. She was smarter than that. There had to be a reason, and when he found her he would make her tell him. Then he would take her to his lands where no one would ever lay a hand on her again.

* * *

"Rin, duck, now!" Rin obeyed as the snake demon they were up against spit a flurry of acid at them. It flew over their heads leaving the two demon slayers unscathed. Kohaku stuck out his right arm, flicking his hand forward. Rin nodded, he wanted her to circle the demon to it's back. As Kohaku flung his kusarigama at the demon's head Rin sprinted around, keeping low to the ground, dodging every time its tail neared her so it would go over her head.

Crouching behind the demon she watched for Kohaku's signal. He nodded, taking her sword in both hands, Rin ran to the demon's back., launching herself as high as she could before driving the sword down into the demon's spine, wrapping her legs around it's thick body as best she could so not to be thrown off. The demon let out a cry, thrashing, trying to remove the girl. Rin held onto the sword, tearing through the layers of skin, scales breaking off and flying everywhere.

With the demon's attention on her, Kohaku took his chance and flung his kusarigama, landing its sharp point deep inside the demon's eye socket. He pulled the chain down, bringing the demon's head to the ground. Stepping on the chain to prevent the demon rising back up, he turned to Rin shouting, "Now!"

Obeying she pulled her sword from the demon's back and slid off its twisting body. She ran up the length of the demon towards the spot where the head connected with the body. The demon's tail flailed about as she thrust her sword into the crevice Kohaku had pointed out on drawings and the demon stilled.

"Good job." Kohaku wiped his brow with the back of his arm and wrenched his weapon out of the demon's head, pulling out a piece of cloth he wiped off the blood.

Rin smiled. "Thanks." She was out of breath. This was definitely the most difficult demon they had faced so far.

"You have scales in your hair." He pointed to her head. Running her fingers through her bangs and brushing off her braid she knocked several bloody scales to the ground as Kohaku laughed, "Don't forget to get the blood off your sword."

She had forgotten, pulling the sword from the back of the demon's neck it let out a sickening squelch, causing her to shudder. As she began to wipe the body juices from her blade, Kohaku bent over the demon and stroked it lightly.

"Doesn't look to be of any use." He frowned but pulled out his wakizashi, running a long cut into its hide. "We could probably sell it to someone though, some people just go nuts over anything demon, whether it is useful or not." Rin watched him as he finished the cuts and slid his sword underneath the skin to remove the top scales. "Here, help me with this?"

Rin slid her sword into the sheath before walking over and taking a hold of one end as Kohaku grabbed the other. The scales were sharp under her fingers while the meat underneath was warm and squishy. Repulsed by the feeling, she followed her friend's movements in turning the hide over, scale-side down, resting it in the grass. He had cut off a piece several yards long and now began rolling it up. As he neared her, the roll in his hands grew larger and larger. Once all of it was rolled up he tied it to keep it in that shape.

"Do we go back now?" Rin stood as Kohaku fumbled with the knots.

"Just let me check it's fangs." He lifted the rolled up hide to his chest. "Can you hold this?" She nodded, as he placed the roll into her hands she felt her knees buckle slightly. It was a lot heavier than he made it out to be. "Useless!" Kohaku called from behind her, she turned around just as he dropped the head into the grass. "Well lets go before anything shows up to eat this. We don't want to be around for that."

"Will they be of any threat to the villagers?" She stepped lightly after him, trying to shift the roll into a more comfortable position.

"Hmm? Oh, the scavengers? Nah." He shook his head. "They just go where they can find something dead. They will leave once they pick this thing free of any edible parts."

Rin looked back at the still carcass; blood pooled out of its eye socket but its back where they had removed the skin was only slightly bloody.

"Do you want me to carry that?" Kohaku asked her.

"What?" Kohaku's words brought her back to their world as she nearly walked right into him. "No." She shook her head. "I can handle it." Heaving it up onto her shoulder she walked past him, faltering slightly.

"Well, if your sure. We'll go get our pay then meet up with Ah-Un and Kirara." He jogged a few steps to catch up with Rin before falling in step with her. "Let me know if you want me to carry it."

"I told you, I'm fine." Rin lifted the roll from one shoulder, moving it to the other. Kohaku shrugged and they walked in silence back to the village.

**Same disclaimer as before.**

**I could say more but I probably shouldn't. Enjoy.  
**


End file.
